The refectory of the Emei Sect.
"Come, Miss Luo Tang, try the breakfast special here, it's really delicious…"
At a dining table, Zhou Ruoxi smiled and cordially invited Gu Luotang to sample the special breakfast of the Emei Sect.
"Thank you, Sect Leader Zhou…"
Gu Luotang, seated beside Wan Yunting, felt unaccustomed to Zhou Ruoxi's enthusiasm and was even more puzzled by the sect leader's change in attitude.
"Abbot Wan, you try some too…"
Zhou Ruoxi smiled at Wan Yunting again. They exchanged a glance, understanding each other perfectly.
After breakfast, Zhou Ruoxi rose and said with a smile, "Abbot Wan, Luo Tang, I have some matters to attend to, so I'll be leaving now. I've asked Junior Sister Jiang to accompany you and show you around the sights of our Emei Sect. If you need anything, just tell her."
"Alright, Sect Leader Zhou, please go ahead with your business."
Wan Yunting and Gu Luotang waved goodbye with smiles. Zhou Ruoxi also instructed Jiang Tingxia before leaving.
"Junior Sister Jiang, I'm quite familiar with your Emei Sect, so let us wander around on our own. There's no need to trouble you," Wan Yunting said to Jiang Tingxia with a smile.
"That's fine too. Just give me a call if you need anything."
Seeing this, Jiang Tingxia didn't want to be a third wheel and left after waving.
Wan Yunting pulled Gu Luotang out of the refectory. As they ambled through the Emei Sect, the disciples they encountered kept pointing and whispering about them…
But Gu Luotang couldn't contain her curiosity and asked, "Brother Yunting, why has Sect Leader Zhou's attitude changed so quickly? Yesterday, she wasn't she very angry and didn't want to see me?"
Wan Yunting turned to look at Gu Luotang and smiled, "That's because she wants to put on a show for the disciples of the Emei Sect today!"
Gu Luotang's gentle, pretty face froze, and she became even more confused, "Why?"
Wan Yunting chuckled, "When I came to the Emei Sect for Ruoxi before, it caused a lot of controversy. Outsiders said that Ruoxi and I had an ambiguous relationship. Once, their Grand Elder, Tai Shi Jun Xuan, even tried to force Ruoxi to marry a disciple from Longhu Mountain, intending for me to storm Emei Sect and snatch the bride, making me an enemy of all sects!"
"Because of this, many people within the Emei Sect believed that Ruoxi and I had an improper relationship!"
"This time, when I brought you to the Emei Sect, Ruoxi came up with an idea. She wants me to take you around the Emei Sect today, with the purpose of showing everyone that you are my woman, Wan Yunting, and that I have no ambiguous relationship with your Sect Leader Zhou Ruoxi. Do you understand?"
"So that's how it is."
This time, Gu Luotang finally understood.
Although Wan Yunting's past deeds at the Emei Sect were not reported in the external news, they were circulating within the circles of major martial arts sects. Gu Luotang had heard about it from her grandfather, Gu Yuanbai, which had deeply confused her at the time—why would a man go to the Emei Sect to snatch a bride and help Zhou Ruoxi successfully become the Sect Leader?
At that time, Gu Luotang had suspected them. Now that her man had admitted his relationship with Zhou Ruoxi yesterday, and they were playing this trick again, Gu Luotang felt much more at ease.
"The successive Sect Leaders of the Emei Sect are not allowed to marry, and Zhou Ruoxi is no exception," Wan Yunting said, feeling a little helpless.
Because after Zhou Ruoxi took over as the Sect Leader of the Emei Sect, Wan Yunting had given her two choices: would she be willing to be with him forever, or would she be willing to be the Sect Leader, unable to be with him in the future, only missing each other in private?
Zhou Ruoxi had chosen the latter. Although she deeply wished to be with Wan Yunting, she was more unwilling to fail her master's mission. Therefore, she would rather live a life of emotional detachment to be a good Sect Leader of the Emei Sect!
As they strolled to a scenic area in the inner sect of the Emei Sect, looking at the majestic mountains of Emei, Wan Yunting pulled Gu Luotang to sit on a stone table and bench. The woman could tell that the man's feelings for Zhou Ruoxi seemed very deep, and she curiously asked, "Brother Yunting, can you tell me how you met Sect Leader Zhou and how you got together?"
Wan Yunting turned his head, looking at Gu Luotang with surprise, and said, "Aren't you angry?"
The gentle Gu Luotang smiled and shook her head, saying, "I can see that you must have gone through something with Sect Leader Zhou, just like I have with you."
Wan Yunting nodded and smiled, "You're right. Ruoxi and I went through life and death together, relying on each other for survival. She saved me!"
This made Gu Luotang even more curious, and she asked, "Tell me quickly…"
So Wan Yunting recounted the scene of their first meeting at the Ancestral Worship Ceremony held at the Wuliang Daoist Temple last year, and how they ended up in the Kunlun Mountains, being chased by Sima Boyong's men, and falling into a valley…
"Heavens, you fell into a valley?"
Hearing this, Gu Luotang's bright eyes widened, and she covered her mouth with her hands, looking at the man with both surprise and fear. Wan Yunting nodded and smiled, "Yes, luckily we were blessed with good fortune and survived by falling into the hot springs in the valley. As I was severely injured, Ruoxi saved me, and we also found the inheritance of the Xiaoyao Sect beneath the valley…"
He continued to tell Gu Luotang about their time in the valley below, making her listen intently. It reminded her of the time when she and the man were trapped together in the Lingshan cave, also on the brink of death.
Therefore, Gu Luotang could deeply empathize with the feelings between the man and Zhou Ruoxi, much like her own feelings for the man—they were so profound and moving…
After listening, Gu Luotang looked at the complex expression on Wan Yunting's face and said, "Brother Yunting, can't you let her go?"
Wan Yunting's expression faltered, and he quickly shook his head and smiled, "No."
"Liar."
Gu Luotang gave him a sidelong glance with her bright eyes and smiled gently, "I'm not objecting to you two, so what are you afraid of? But Sect Leader Zhou chose to be the Sect Leader, you must be very disappointed, right?"
Looking at this girl, Wan Yunting understood her meaning. He couldn't help but take Gu Luotang's small hand and gently stroke her cheek, smiling, "Luotang, sometimes I really wonder if you were sent down from heaven as an angel for me?"
"Stop it, you're just teasing me."
Gu Luotang's pretty face flushed with embarrassment from his praise. She then said, "Brother Yunting, we're not leaving the Emei Sect until tomorrow. We only have one day now. You've come to the Emei Sect, so you should quickly go and spend time with Sect Leader Zhou."
Wan Yunting's expression faltered. Looking at Gu Luotang's gentle smile and clear, pure gaze, he was instantly moved. He stroked her face and said, "Luotang, what can I say about you?"
"What is it?"
Gu Luotang looked at him strangely. Wan Yunting immediately leaned in, cupped her small face in his hands, and kissed her tender, moist lips. Gu Luotang's cheeks turned red. Noticing that there were still Emei Sect disciples watching from a distance, she shyly said, "Mmm… Brother Yunting, hurry and get up, someone's here…"
"What are you afraid of?"
Wan Yunting released her and smiled, "You are my woman, so I'll kiss you in front of them. Let them envy and be jealous…"
After speaking, Wan Yunting kissed Gu Luotang fiercely a few more times, making her shy but even happier…
Since Gu Luotang was so gentle and considerate, Wan Yunting didn't want to let her down. After all, he really wanted to chat with Zhou Ruoxi now, as they rarely met, and he didn't want to miss this opportunity…
Because he would be taking Gu Luotang to the Wuliang Daoist Temple and then into the valley beneath the Kunlun Mountains for closed-door cultivation, they would be together every day…
Wan Yunting sent Gu Luotang back to the small courtyard where she was staying, and then he went directly to find Zhou Ruoxi…
At this moment, Zhou Ruoxi was in a study, with many documents piled on her desk. She wore a light green ancient-style long dress, with her black, smooth long hair styled with a hair crown and a jade hairpin, giving her a solemn aura.
With a standard oval face, a pair of delicate willow eyebrows, and a pair of lustrous, sharp eyes, compared to when he first met Zhou Ruoxi, when she exuded a gentle coolness, the current Zhou Ruoxi possessed a more capable and serious demeanor.
This was because she was no longer an ordinary disciple of the Emei Sect, but the Sect Leader.
At this moment, Jiang Tingxia brought Wan Yunting to the door, knocked, and called out, "Senior Sister Sect Leader, Abbot Wan requests an audience!"
Zhou Ruoxi, who was engrossed in writing something, immediately looked up and turned towards the outside. Seeing the man's handsome, smiling face, she reacted and said softly, "Let him come in."
Jiang Tingxia then turned to signal Wan Yunting and walked away.
Wan Yunting stepped over the threshold and entered the spacious study. There was a front reception area, and beyond that was the office and study, where Zhou Ruoxi was located.
He looked around the study. The decoration was solemn, with a large writing desk. Zhou Ruoxi was seated elegantly in a chair inside. Behind her was a row of bookshelves, filled with all sorts of dazzling books…
"Why are you here instead of accompanying your girlfriend?" Zhou Ruoxi glanced at him with her beautiful eyes and continued writing, saying the opposite of what she meant.
"Naturally, I'm here to chat with you," Wan Yunting went up, placed his hands on the desk, and leaned his head to look, "What are you writing?"
"You're not allowed to look." Zhou Ruoxi immediately covered it, glared at the man, and said, "This is a secret of our Emei Sect. You, an outsider, cannot see it."
Wan Yunting's expression faltered. Seeing that this girl was getting playful, he immediately turned around, scooped Zhou Ruoxi off the chair she was sitting on, and directly placed her on the desk. Zhou Ruoxi, unable to react at all, cried out in panic, "What are you doing? Don't mess around, this is the study, someone might come in to find me at any moment… Mmm…"
As a result, Wan Yunting didn't let her finish. He directly covered Zhou Ruoxi's lips, holding her slender and supple willow waist, while Wan Yunting sat in her Sect Leader's chair, holding Zhou Ruoxi directly on his lap. The two began to kiss each other passionately…
Although the study was not the appropriate place, facing the man's domineering presence and masculine aura, Zhou Ruoxi was still captivated and involuntarily reciprocated, actively cooperating with him…