In Yaozhou Province, Zhenwu Shenquan rode a flying battleship, bringing it to the walls of the new Yellow Spring Undead City. There, an army of headless flame knights awaited, led by the Corpse Demon that Xinzi conquered the place with. Unbeknown to Shenquan, a stronger Corpse Demon hid in the shadows, ready to intervene for a pincer attack. Zhenwu Shenquan didn't rush to strike or make demands. His eyes scanned the scene, and as his Spiritual Sense swept through the enemy troops, an odd sense of forbidding raced through his heart, alerting his senses.
'A bait? Where is the undead master?'
Meanwhile, Xinzi too experienced rattling sensations, sensations that made his pulse quicken as he walked through the colossal Liberation Temple's halls.
'You got to be kidding me. The Zhen-body broke through? Why now...why now of all times?' Standing at the gate of Dong Ling's suite, Xinzi palmed his face, not pleased in the slightest. The Zhen-body's next breakthrough was only a matter of time, but Xinzi hoped that, at the very least, it wouldn't occur before he completed the lion share of his work here in Green Leaf Village.
But the breakthrough had occurred—meaning that his mother would want him back in Heaven to celebrate the achievement and receive the various deities' gifts. This was a tradition that all divine scions expected to at least become High Gods had to go through. And of course, in Xinzi's case, it involved more gifts than what any other celestial lord could pretend to—with Sovereign Gods and Primevals being part of the show.
Heaving a sigh, Xinzi shrugged and pushed the door open, striding into Dong Ling's suite. There, the mischievous snake girl stood before a long red curtain, stroking her chin like a young imp hatching a dastardly plot.
"Abbot Xinzi, you are here."
"Yes, I heard you were offering 'sugar.' So I came to get a serving of sweet nectar, if you catch my drift."
"Lusty Xinzi, how do you know that you will get any 'sugar' here? You're right, but still, these are not proper guesses. Someone should really write a book about you and call it...the Sexcapades of a Lusty Monk."
"You can write it. I'm sure that no one can encapsulate my swagger better than you."
"But of course, because A'Xin, more than anyone else ever did and ever will, I love you. In the past, present and future, my love for you will always be unmatched." Dong Ling twirled on one foot, making her lustrous purple hair whirl as her lavender eyes gleamed with a blend of tender care and playfulness.
Xinzi smiled at Dong Ling's declaration, for a second forgetting about the realities that awaited him in the Evernight Palace.
"And here is the proof of my boundless love. Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you..." Dong Ling turned to the side, clapped thrice, and lowered the curtain, revealing a figure that Xinzi only knew too well, except that this time, that figure covered her face with a large fan, and was dressed in the most salacious attire that Xinzi ever had the chance to lay eyes on.
"...The feathered tribal dancer!" Dong Ling ended her introduction, revealing Chun Xu, who stepped forward, still keeping her face covered by the fan. To be fair, the face was about all that she covered, really. On her breasts, Chun Xu wore transparent white-feathered bras that exposed the upper half of her milky chest. On her hips, the Sword Fairy put on a purple feathered skirt, barely enough to cover her ass cheeks as she turned to showcase her naked back to Xinzi's eyes.
Gold bangles adorned Chun Xu's wrists, her naked feet dragged on the ground, following a hypnotic rhythm. By the time Chun Xu turned once more and lowered her fan, Xinzi almost had a heart attack—for the first time in her life, the Sword Fairy had some light makeup on, with candy lipstick that highlighted her delicious lips.
"Feathered tribal dancer, dance!" Dong Ling ordered, and immediately, Chun Xu turned 180, breaking into a perverse dance. Her perky butt shook up and down, the tiny skirt struggling to hide her ass cheeks while the large fan swayed in her right hand, cooling the heat that her body exuded. Her tongue hung on the left, and from over her shoulder, she gave Xinzi an inviting glance.
"Ugh!" Xinzi couldn't bear the shock, reeled back, and while clutching at his chest, collapsed on the ground.
"Aaargh! A'Xin!"
"Xinzi! Dong Ling, didn't you say that this would make him happy? I listened to you, so why is he on the ground, frotting at the mouth?" One after the other, Dong Ling and Chun Xu rushed to Xinzi's side, shaking him back to consciousness.
"Just not prepared...just not prepared. You can't do this to a good man with no warning whatsoever. This is not right...immoral, yet so right.
The Golden Lotus be praised, Chun Xu can do this for me. I have seen it all and can die in peace.
A'Ling, never change. You will always be my...little sweetheart.
Chun Xu, what are you waiting for? Continue!" Xinzi dragged himself off the ground and sat crossed-legged. His words had drastically different results. Dong Ling swooned on his lap, but Chun's cheeks turned red as an apple, and the Sword Fairy clenched on her fan, not knowing where to put herself.
Her hesitation didn't last for long. Today, Chun Xu came prepared, and without further ado, put on an unforgettable show. As it went on, Dong Ling explained the situation.
"So, Chun Xu has been dying to ask you what happened to Xiao Hu. But even after our drinking game, she's still having trouble facing you. So, I set up this little game to break the ice once and for all, and help Chun Xu speak her piece. Impressive right? You can start thanking me—after explaining what happened in your secret hometown."
Here, the separation in the Evernight Palace replayed in Xinzi's mind, and a hint of loss flashed through his eyes—only for a second.
"In a fit of rage, she wanted out. I erased her memory and fulfilled her wish. It's for the best. Being exposed to the real me and his relatives leads to disasters for all involved. And Xiao Hu was exposed to more than she should have ever been allowed to see."
Here, Xinzi remembered a time in Heaven when a High Goddess complimented him the "wrong way" and got blasted into smithereens by his divine mother. In the past, things of the sort routinely happened between Yuemi and maids that were too inexperienced to understand the implications of his status.
At times, Xinzi wondered. If Yongye met his girls, would she brush it off on mortal indulgence, or roast them to death to preserve her son's divine sanctity.
