117: Chapter 117 The Afterglow of the Grand Ceremony

The gentle night air enshrouded the Moonshadow Sect.

Moonlight was scattered everywhere; the thousands of exotic flowers that had bloomed during the day had not withered, but instead presented a different, dreamlike posture under the moonlight.

The entire Sect was immersed in the quiet, sweet, and slightly lazy aftermath of the celebration.

Deep within the Wanfang Garden, under a massive peach tree, Chi Wanhe leaned against the gnarled trunk, pink and white petals occasionally drifting into her hair.

Several close female Disciples sat around, chattering away.

"Senior Sister, Senior Sister!"

A round-faced Junior Sister with sparkling eyes lowered her voice, "Now that you've become a Moon-Hua Dao Companion, does that mean... does that mean you can engage in Dual Cultivation with the Sect Master?"

Her cheeks were flushed. Chi Wanhe cast a sidelong glance at her and huffed, "In your dreams! Revered Master is busy with ten thousand affairs every day; how could he... cough, how could he engage in Dual Cultivation every day!"

She deliberately stiffened her face, but the slightly upturned corners of her lips and her reddened ears betrayed her.

The surrounding Junior Sisters exchanged smiles; who didn't know that although Senior Sister said that, she was likely very proud in her heart?

After all, it was rumored that she was the good Disciple who had been "eaten clean" by the Sect Master first.

By the Jinxi Pond, Huang Yutong sat barefoot on the smooth jade stone, her fair feet gently splashing in the cool pond water.

Under the moonlight, her figure appeared exceptionally soft. Beside her were several other Disciples who had also experienced humble beginnings.

"Sometimes, it really feels like a dream," Huang Yutong gazed at the swaying moonlight in the water, her voice soft yet filled with emotion, "Before... I was just a piece of trash with a Yellow-grade Spiritual Root that even small Sects wouldn't take in. Everyone thought I was a burden and looked at me with disgust... until I met the Sect Master..."

"Indeed..." another female Disciple whispered, "Only the Moonshadow Sect didn't mind our humble origins and mediocre Spiritual Roots, giving us stable cultivation and a worry-free life..."

The other female Disciples nodded one after another. Under the moonlight, their faces were filled with a shared sense of relief and a deep sense of belonging.

At Tianyuan Peak, in the Star-Plucking Eave Pavilion, Hua Youyou leaned against the carved railing, gazing at the starry sky outside the pavilion that seemed within reach.

A close Senior Sister leaned in and teasingly bumped her with her shoulder, "Hey, Youyou, you're the Sect Master's Moon-Hua Dao Companion now!"

"Senior Sister, aren't you one too?"

"But Senior Sister hasn't received the Sect Master's favor yet. Youyou, tell me, how does it feel?"

Hua Youyou's face turned bright red instantly, like a ripe peach, and she twisted her hem shyly, "W-what do you mean how does it feel..."

"Playing dumb!" The Junior Sister smirked, her eyes sweeping across the pavilion with a suggestive look, "I mean... when you were here with the Sect Master... doing that thing... was it good?"

"Don't try to lie, Senior Sister saw it..."

Hua Youyou was so shy she almost jumped up, burying her head lower, her voice as thin as a mosquito's, "The Sect Master's body is very warm... no, it's the wind in the... the pavilion... it's very warm... the stars... the stars seem to be blinking..."

She was incoherent, but her shy and timid appearance and the extreme sweetness and satisfaction revealed in her words had already surpassed a thousand words.

The Senior Sister looked at her and giggled knowingly.

Tianyuan Floating Island, deep in the bamboo forest of the Five Elements Corridor.

The moonlight was like water, flowing through the quiet depths of the bamboo forest. The clear, shallow water beside the Five Elements Corridor reflected the sparse bamboo shadows and the starlight filling the sky.

A breeze blew past, making the bamboo leaves rustle and bringing the scent of cool night dew, creating a Concept reminiscent of "sparse shadows slanting across the clear, shallow water."

Ling Hao stood quietly under the bamboo shadows by the pond, his black robes merging with the night; only his deep gaze reflected the twinkling starlight.

A very slight sound of footsteps approached, carrying a mature, rich fragrance.

"Is the Sect Master not going to celebrate the Grand Ceremony with the Disciples?" Chi Shuying's voice, carrying a hint of lazy amusement, sounded behind Ling Hao.

Ling Hao turned slowly, a gentle curve forming on his lips, his gaze landing on the person who had arrived, "I was waiting for you."

Under the moonlight, Chi Shuying stood gracefully. She was dressed in a charming, misty-pink long dress; the thin, sheer fabric outlined her mature curves, and her full bosom pushed the fabric high.

Her waist was slender, making the lines of her plump, rounded thighs beneath the skirt appear even more beautiful. Her hair was elegantly pinned, with a Green Phoenix Perching on Bamboo hairpin slanted in her hair.

The Phoenix spread its wings, and the bamboo leaves were a lush, dripping green, setting off her face, which was full of charm.

She looked like a top-grade peony blooming under the moon, both elegant and luxurious, while exuding a mesmerizing, mature charm.

Chi Shuying watched Ling Hao turn around, watching his eyes filled with smiles. That sentence, "I was waiting for you," was like a pebble thrown into a lake, causing ripples to spread, and a faint flush couldn't help but rise on her charming face.

She took a deep breath, suppressing her suddenly racing heartbeat, and moved with lotus steps to Ling Hao's side, looking with him at the swaying reflection of the stars and moon in the pond.

"The night is lovely," Chi Shuying said softly, trying to hide the turbulence in her heart with a normal tone. However, Ling Hao's aura was close at hand, mixed with the scent of bamboo leaves, invading her senses in every possible way, making her subconsciously pull together the charming misty-pink long dress she was wearing.

"Indeed," Ling Hao's voice was low, his gaze not leaving the water, "Better than that night at Liuyun Temple."

Chi Shuying's breath hitched slightly, and her ears burned even hotter.

Of course she remembered! That suffocating kiss against the ancient tree, and the scalding temperature of his palm... and even later on the flying boat during the return trip, when she misunderstood that he was distancing himself because she refused to fully surrender, causing her to be anxious, aggrieved, and resentful.

When she finally summoned the courage to look for him, she was interrupted by Wanhe...

Just then, a slightly stronger night breeze passed through the forest, blowing messy a few strands of black hair at Chi Shuying's temples and also stirring the exquisite Green Phoenix Perching on Bamboo hairpin in her hair.

Ling Hao turned his head, his gaze falling on her slightly crooked hairpin, his eyes deep. He had given her this hairpin when they were at Liuyun Temple.

"Your hairpin is crooked." As he spoke, Ling Hao raised his hand naturally, but his long fingers didn't straighten the hairpin directly; instead, they gently brushed away the few strands of hair blown messy by the wind on her cheek.

His fingertips grazed her sensitive earlobe, a touch that was familiar, cool, and electric, instantly awakening memories deep within Chi Shuying's body—that night in the small courtyard of Liuyun Temple, her red lips had kissed something...

"Sect Master..." Chi Shuying trembled, wanting to avoid him, but her body seemed frozen.

Ling Hao would not allow her to retreat. His fingers slid down, gently lifting her small chin, forcing her to meet his burning gaze.

Those charming Phoenix eyes now clearly reflected his image, carrying a hint of panic and confusion.

"Shuying..."

"Do you still remember how you taught Wanhe back then? 'Hold a sincere heart and boldly approach him'... hmm?"

Chi Shuying's heart shook violently! It wasn't strange that the Sect Master knew she had instigated Wanhe, but these exact words...

That little girl Wanhe really told her Revered Master everything! She really forgot her ancestors once she had a Revered Master!

Chi Shuying bit her lower lip, remaining silent.

Ling Hao chuckled and leaned in close.

"You wanted to be a 'strategist' behind the scenes, instigating the younger generation to climb up the big tree that is the Sect Master..."

Ling Hao's lips were almost touching Chi Shuying's burning earlobe, his voice as soft as a lover's whisper, but every word was like a hammer, striking her heart, "How... did you end up losing yourself in it too? Hmm?"

Chi Shuying's body shuddered violently; her little thoughts from back then really couldn't be hidden from him.

The words "losing yourself" made Chi Shuying's whole body go weak, and she could barely stand.

Suddenly, Chi Shuying lifted her eyes sharply, a flame bordering on wildness burning in those Phoenix eyes.

"Yes... I lost myself in it!"

Her voice was hoarse, soft, and charming, and she reached back to grab Ling Hao's wrist that was cupping her chin, "Since I've lost myself..."

She stood slightly on tiptoe, her plump, mature curves pressing tightly against Ling Hao's solid body, her red lips close to his ear, breathing like an orchid, with a burning intensity like jade shattering, "...This time, I, Chi Shuying, will not run away."

Her gaze swept across the depths of the bamboo forest, as if looking at something, and a charming smile appeared, "Even if... it means competing for a man with little Wanhe and the others or anyone else... I accept it!"

The bamboo forest was silent, with only the sound of their breathing clearly audible, intertwined with the whispers of the night wind.

Ling Hao stared steadily at the mature beauty before him, who was revealing her most real, burning desire and possessiveness.

He suddenly laughed.

Ling Hao's free hand suddenly wrapped around Chi Shuying's waist, which could be grasped in one hand, pressing her tighter against himself, their bodies fitting perfectly together.

His gaze was burning, falling on her full red lips, "Shuying... you accepted my flower..." Ling Hao was naturally referring to the unique Ink Jade Peony from the Grand Ceremony.

"You accepted my flower and my heart..."

"Then I will ask you for a flower... and your heart..."

Ling Hao's gaze swept meaningfully over the plump curves beneath Chi Shuying's skirt, then gazed into her eyes again, "That's fine, right?"

The moment his voice fell, Ling Hao had already lowered his head and kissed those alluring red lips directly!

The bamboo shadows swayed, and the night wind hummed, as if playing a prelude to this intense entanglement.