Zi Menghan’s response this time was spoken with earnest determination.
Listening only to her tone, it was indeed perfectly serious, but combined with her choice of words, it gave a strangely familiar impression—as if she had actively opened the cave entrance for him to enter.
He Qiu’s lips stiffened.
He couldn’t help letting his mind wander.
Miss Meng’er’s resolve was so firm, yet when it reached He Qiu’s ears, it became connected to such filthy thoughts.
He was guilty.
He should atone.
After a moment’s composure, He Qiu spoke again.
“Very well, since Miss Meng’er has said so, I will enter without worry!”
“Mm, come…”
For the final time, he pressed his palms together and formed a seal.
He Qiu suddenly exerted his energy, and the massive Spirit Art rune was fully infused into the young woman’s body.
“Ah!——”
Zi Menghan’s soul trembled, and she let out a startled gasp.
She knew that just now, He Qiu’s Spirit Art had been completely fixed, rooted, and settled within her Spiritual Spring.
For a very long time to come, it would be unlikely for her to erase this Spirit Art.
Inside her body, a mark belonging solely to him had finally been left behind.
“Ugh…”
Clenching her fists tightly and biting her lip, Zi Menghan’s whole body trembled slightly from unease.
She had already made up her mind earlier.
Though she still felt some lingering fear, she did not regret it.
She would face the forbidden curse He Qiu had given her.
But what effect would this Anti-Demon Curse actually have…?
When He Qiu had explained it earlier, Zi Menghan hadn’t listened carefully, so now she had no idea what to expect and was very unsettled.
In any case, since it was a Spirit Art specifically designed to restrain demon cultivators, it definitely wouldn’t be anything good for her—that was her assumption.
Holding onto this anxiety, the young woman kept her beautiful eyes tightly shut, not daring to breathe heavily, quietly waiting for the imprint within her lower abdomen’s Spiritual Spring to take effect, alert for any strange changes her body might undergo at any moment.
A fear of the unknown enveloped the young woman’s heart, refusing to fade for a long time.
One second…
Two seconds…
Three seconds………
Half a minute passed.
Zi Menghan’s whole body was tense, yet the forbidden curse effect of the Spirit Art never came.
How strange.
What kind of effect does the Spirit Art Young Master He cast on me actually have?
Zi Menghan was still guessing in puzzled confusion when He Qiu, on the other hand, let out a long sigh of relief.
He withdrew both palms from the young woman’s back and at the same time pulled up the clothes that had slipped off her, covering her overly tempting jade-white shoulders.
“Alright, the Spirit Art was cast perfectly. If there’s nothing else, I’ll—”
He Qiu sat up from the bed and was about to turn and leave, but suddenly his vision went black, his entire body weak and powerless, and he fell forward.
Thud!
Because of casting a mid-level Spirit Art, the young man’s Spiritual Energy was depleted.
He collapsed face-first onto the young woman, his consciousness fading.
Zi Menghan: !!!
“Y-Young Master He? What’s wrong?”
Suddenly pinned beneath him, the young woman didn’t dare move.
She lightly patted the shoulder of the young man in her arms, only to find his breathing exhausted, as if he had been completely drained.
All night, He Qiu had not only studied the technique given by Fairy Nan without sleep or food, but he had also practiced constantly.
He had experimented with many simpler Spirit Arts countless times, and his Spiritual Energy was already mostly spent.
This time, experimenting with the complex Spirit Art, the Anti-Demon Curse, had completely exhausted He Qiu’s Spiritual Energy.
Before he could even activate Yun Qing’s Natural Spiritual Power, he had fallen unconscious.
On the other side, Zi Menghan’s face was flushed with nervous pink.
She was still at a loss because He Qiu had collapsed onto her.
“Sorry…”
“I’m a bit sleepy… Borrow your bed to rest… for a while…”
He Qiu murmured weakly by the young woman’s ear.
Being so close, breathing and talking intimately with the person she liked—how could Zi Menghan withstand that? Her heart pounded like never before, and her cheeks flushed an even deeper red.
It seemed that because he cast the Spirit Art, his Spiritual Energy was exhausted…
What should I do?
This is a perfect opportunity to stab him in the back and escape!
Zi Menghan gazed at the exhausted, slumbering young man in her arms, stunned for a long time.
Her mind seemed to freeze, unable to make any judgment.
From a purely hostile perspective, this was the perfect chance to backstab him and take revenge—a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
But how could Zi Menghan bring herself to do it?
The boy she liked was nestled in her arms like this.
What girl in the world could be heartless enough?
She was the Demon Sect Princess, yes, but she was not a venomous woman.
How could she truly be as ruthless as the rumors claimed?
Finally, the young woman swallowed.
She gently raised one hand, supporting herself on the bed to sit up, while her other hand softly stroked the young man’s back.
She adjusted her sitting position so that the young man in her arms could lie more comfortably against her.
The young woman leaned against the headboard, the young man nestled in her arms.
The night was deep, and the air grew cold.
So she reached out, grabbed the blanket, and draped it over him to keep him from catching a chill.
Under the lamplight, Zi Menghan’s beautiful eyes were bright and lively, her gaze fixed on He Qiu’s sleeping face.
For a moment, she suddenly felt so happy.
She wished he could sleep a little longer, rely on her a little more.
She could no longer remember anything—neither demon cultivators nor orthodox paths, neither innocence nor resentment…
At this moment, Zi Menghan felt that there was nothing in the world more important than holding the one she loved in her arms.
Even though she didn’t know what his true purpose was, even though she didn’t know what curse he had placed on her…
At least right now, his exhaustion was not feigned.
He truly had no guard up and had fallen asleep in her arms.
This showed that he trusted her—he believed she wouldn’t take advantage of his weakness.
Zi Menghan admitted to herself that as a dark and villainous figure, she was unworthy of a righteous genius like He Qiu.
Moreover, He Qiu was the fiancé of her natural enemy, the Primordial Saintess.
She had no right to have him.
But at the very least, now he had willingly fallen into her arms.
Without any psychological burden, she could, like a black cat lurking in the shadows, secretly enjoy him for one night, monopolize his sleeping face for this night.
Was this what they called “an affair”?
Not really.
It was only one-sided on her part.
He had fallen unconscious due to exhaustion.
Then what was it?
It should be considered taking advantage of his weakness, stealing from him… something along those lines would be more accurate.
“But even if I take advantage of him, what’s wrong with that?”
A faint smile hung on Zi Menghan’s lips.
Under the moonlight and candlelight, the young woman’s profile showed her purple hair cascading down.
Her beautiful eyes were ethereal, utterly captivating.
She had never been a good person.
She was a witch in the eyes of the world.
She had spent her life hidden in the dark side of the world.
She was the infamous Demon Sect Princess, named Zi Menghan.
For someone like Zi Menghan to secretly sleep with another’s fiancé—didn’t that feel fitting?
As a witch, as a publicly acknowledged bad woman, she was just doing what her role required.
So why carry a psychological burden?
Cheap morals, chastity, and shame—who exactly were they putting on a show for?
Wouldn’t it be laughable to say that the great antagonist, the Demon Sect Princess, because the one she loved was the Saintess’s fiancé, cowardly backed down?
When she had the chance to sleep in his arms, she didn’t dare, thinking it was basic moral chastity?
That would be too ridiculous—would anyone believe it if she said it?
Like is like.
If you like someone, you want to have them—even if it’s a shameful affair…
She wanted to have him, so she would have him.
She wanted his feelings in return, so she would pursue him and make him like her too.
That way, their feelings and love would be mutual, and everyone would be happy.
Wasn’t the logic that simple?
Another relieved smile spread across her face.
The young woman’s originally cold and uneasy beautiful eyes returned to their natural state.
A hint of gentle pride hung on her lips as she relaxed and enjoyed the warmth of the young man in her arms.
Your Holiness, the Saintess, your fiancé now urgently needs a woman to take care of him, to hold him…
Since you’re not here, this little woman will have to take your place—
“Devote myself to spending the night with him.”