Lu Xingzhou, both amused and exasperated, protected his belt. He felt that after joining the army, this girl had become even more wild and bold. Back in Jing, she still knew how to be shy, but now she dared to come and pull down a man’s pants… If old Sheng found out, he would surely skin him alive.

As he protected her, Sheng Yuan’s belt wouldn’t come undone, and slowly, she ended up nestling in his arms, resting against his chest, still.

“Lu Xingzhou… you’ve killed me…” The wild girl let out a soft, gentle sigh.

Lu Xingzhou’s heart melted instantly.

“I never imagined I’d be seen like that one day, and I wasn’t even angry; I actually felt like laughing,” Sheng Yuan whispered, leaning against him. “Logically, shouldn’t I grab you and tell you to take responsibility?”

Before Lu Xingzhou could respond, and perhaps fearing that he would immediately say, “Then I’ll take responsibility,” Sheng Yuan continued, “You don’t need to take responsibility. If we’re talking about responsibility, it should have been discussed during the succubus incident in Jiang Moyu.”

Lu Xingzhou swallowed the words he was about to say, listening to her.

“Anyway, you won’t abandon Shen Tang, and you won’t abandon Pei Chuyun,” Sheng Yuan sat up straight again, reaching back to smooth her hair, and said lazily, “This old lady won’t be a concubine; it’s better to be brothers. I really don’t know why the Demon Emperor or Holy Master would be willing to be a concubine.”

As she smoothed her hair back, her chest, which had only seemed moderate before, now looked as if it would burst from her clothes. Lu Xingzhou subconsciously fixed his gaze on it.

Noticing where his gaze landed, Sheng Yuan pouted, completely unconcerned. She finished smoothing her hair and shook it out. “You performed so well this time; quickly say what you want from your brother, or this gratitude will be gone.”

The implication was, if you’re really desperate, I can even sleep with you, but only for tonight.

But Lu Xingzhou could still see the hidden panic beneath her seemingly carefree demeanor, her eyes unconsciously darting around, which was incredibly adorable.

No matter how wild, she was still a maiden who had never experienced intimacy.

Lu Xingzhou finally spoke, “You wish.”

“?” Sheng Yuan glared at him.

Did he see through my little expectation?

Damn him, how could he be so annoying!

Then Lu Xingzhou continued, “Your top priority now is to heal your injuries. The first thing after healing is to break through. Don’t you know your own body? You’re still thinking about all these irrelevant things.”

He then directly shoved a healing elixir into her mouth. “Also, if you’re going to gossip, listen carefully. Didn’t that demon general say that the Demon Emperor wanted to capture me just because she valued my abilities? What ‘being a concubine’ or ‘not being a concubine’ – you’re just spouting nonsense. It’s a good thing you’re not with Zhenmosi anymore, otherwise, wouldn’t all the cases be miscarriages of justice?”

Sheng Yuan swallowed the elixir with a gulp, still defiant. “That demon general’s attitude clearly showed they thought their empress was interested in you!”

“It’s all just boring people making things up in their heads. I wouldn’t dare to think that. What kind of person is Long Qinghuang? She’s not like you, a gossipmonger.” Lu Xingzhou casually ruffled her newly smoothed hair. “Alright, swallow a golden elixir, go heal!”

“How am I a gossipmonger?” Sheng Yuan nudged him. “Hey, tell me, what’s your interaction with the Demon Emperor like? Is she pretty?”

“No, I saw you this evening, so spirited and heroic… How did you become like this again?”

“You like that type?” Sheng Yuan stroked her chin, thinking it might be true. Otherwise, why would he become so serious after she smelled fresh from her bath, when he was willing to kiss her before?

Could this pervert like the scent of someone who hasn’t washed in days?

She heard that demons don’t wash much either…

Lu Xingzhou had no idea she was thinking all that… He wasn’t unaware of the girl’s fluctuating emotions tonight, but in reality, where was there any ambiguous mood tonight?

He had sent people from Yingyue Sect to scout the situation, to find out where Huo Xingyuan’s army was, and if Long Qinghuang’s relief army had encountered them. A major battle might happen tonight, so who would have the mind for frivolous things? What if they were in the middle of it and a fight broke out?

However, he had always liked her casual, ‘buddy-buddy’ attitude, so he smiled, “Yes, I do like that heroic, vibrant type.”

Sheng Yuan looked at him suspiciously. “Hey, you don’t actually like men, do you…”

“You…”

Sheng Yuan was about to say something when she suddenly gasped, clutching her stomach and bending over.

“Normal reaction,” Lu Xingzhou said. “Your injuries are being repaired. Not every healing process is comfortable; it can also be painful.”

Sheng Yuan tugged at his sleeve. “Help me ease it. Your water-element healing technique before was quite good. Want to try it?”

Lu Xingzhou then pulled her into his arms with one hand and gently rubbed her lower abdomen with the other, as the clear water purification slowly seeped in.

Sheng Yuan leaned in his arms, watching him seriously rub her lower abdomen. Her heart softened, almost intoxicated, and the slight pain in her abdomen disappeared completely.

Lu Xingzhou was still seriously performing the technique, his cheeks slightly flushed. But the girl couldn’t hold back and spontaneously kissed him.

Before Lu Xingzhou could turn his head, she flinched back as if startled, nestling into his shoulder, pretending to know nothing.

Lu Xingzhou finally couldn’t suppress himself and lifted her chin with one hand.

Sheng Yuan’s heart skipped a beat. “You, you, you’re still healing me… Mmm…”

Before she finished speaking, her lips were sealed.

Sheng Yuan punched him twice, then quickly realized her stomach didn’t actually hurt. He was using qi transfer for dual cultivation to aid healing, which was no worse than the clear water purification.

No pain was good, so wasn’t it simple? Sheng Yuan felt a little more at ease and directly stuck out her tongue.

Lu Xingzhou: “…”

When she told herself it was for healing, Sheng Yuan was quite straightforward.

From beginning to end, she was the one who wanted to kiss him…

This time, Lu Xingzhou truly wasn’t polite. The hand rubbing her lower abdomen climbed to her peaks.

Sheng Yuan’s breathing became ragged, but she didn’t stop him, allowing him to play.

Unconsciously, the qi within her body circulated, growing more enormous and more vigorous.

“Rumble!”

Thunder suddenly erupted above the City Lord’s Mansion.

Sheng Yuan, startled, pushed Lu Xingzhou away. “Enemy attack?”

Lu Xingzhou, still handling the “ball,” said speechlessly, “It’s a tribulation.”

Sheng Yuan let out a sigh of relief, then angrily said, “Who’s undergoing tribulation at a time like this? How annoying.”

Lu Xingzhou watched her for a while, then slowly said, “You.”

Sheng Yuan: “?”

“I originally prepared a breakthrough pill for you, but it seems unnecessary. What’s needed is for me to rescue you when you’re blasted into charcoal by the tribulation lightning.” Lu Xingzhou looked at the sky, a little speechless. Whose breakthrough into Tengyun happens while they’re messing around with a buddy? She hadn’t even prepared, didn’t even know she was breaking through.

She didn’t even have her weapon with her!

How could she undergo tribulation in this state?

Sheng Yuan froze for a moment, then suddenly leaped up and rushed to the adjacent room where she had just bathed; her saber was still there!

“Rumble!” A bolt of tribulation lightning shattered the roof tiles and struck directly at Sheng Yuan below.

Sheng Yuan scrambled to the ground in a sorry state, grabbed her saber, and slashed upwards.

Tribulation lightning is different from ordinary lightning. Normally, striking lightning with a saber would be suicide, but with tribulation lightning, it’s possible. Otherwise, how would so many martial cultivators pass their tribulations?

This strike was like an energy burst when two martial cultivators clash, with surging power. Lu Xingzhou quickly set up a formation around them, barely managing to preserve the house.

He then watched Sheng Yuan fighting the lightning, finding it oddly amusing.

This was probably the most disheveled tribulation-taker Lu Xingzhou had ever seen. He wondered how he could help. Logically, one shouldn’t interfere with tribulations, but if he really wanted to, there were some borderline methods.

Lu Xingzhou quickly stripped off his clothes and unfastened his close-fitting Dragon Subduing Armor.

Sheng Yuan cursed, “You wouldn’t let me see it when I said I wanted to. Why are you taking it off now? Are eight-pack abs really that amazing!”

Before her words faded, the Dragon Subduing Armor flew over her head and enveloped her.

The reason treasures are treasures is that they don’t need to be slowly put on; they automatically conform when simply placed.

Sheng Yuan was being battered by the lightning, when suddenly the pressure lightened. She was overjoyed. “So you’re the one striking me, huh? Take this!”

“Rumble!” The tribulation clouds scattered, and the lightning bolts vanished.

Lu Xingzhou cautiously stared into Sheng Yuan’s eyes.

No one around him had only one layer of tribulation. Although Sheng Yuan wasn’t one of those abnormal cultivators, he didn’t think it would be as simple as just one layer. At least she would undergo a heart tribulation.

As for what kind of inner demon tribulation it would be, judging from the start of the tribulation, it was highly likely to be related to desire again. However, this absolutely couldn’t be resolved by jumping into a passionate embrace; that would be a failure.

Soon, Sheng Yuan’s eyes looked a little dazed; indeed, she was undergoing a heart demon tribulation. He didn’t know how she would overcome this heart demon tribulation, as it was something he absolutely couldn’t help with. Lu Xingzhou paced around, wondering if he should hide, at least to lessen the temptation of male beauty?

However, Sheng Yuan’s dazed eyes fell on his eight-pack abs, but she didn’t react much.

Her inner demon was never desire, but rather her refusal to be a concubine, which she was stubbornly fixated on.

In the illusion, Shen Tang sat cross-legged in the main seat, leisurely dictating, “Yuan’ao, I’m thirsty.”

Sheng Yuan offered tea with a wronged expression.

Such was the fate of a concubine.

The scene shifted. Sheng Qingfeng, face ashen, held a family discipline whip, lashing Sheng Yuan until her legs were nearly broken. “I told you to be a concubine, I told you to be a concubine!”

Sheng Yuan shrieked, “Concubine my ass! I’m their most hated female brother, isn’t that better?”

In the illusion, Sheng Yuan and Lu Xingzhou walked arm-in-arm. “Come on, buddy, I’ll take you hunting.”

Behind them, Shen Tang served as a backdrop, crying.

Heart Demon: “…”

The illusion shattered like glass, shifting to another tribulation.

It turned out Sheng Yuan also had three tribulations, and furthermore, a special dual heart demon tribulation.

“You’re not a young girl anymore; from now on, you are not allowed to pry into others’ privacy,” it sounded like the voice of the Heavenly Dao.

Sheng Yuan: “?”

This was the most severe heart demon.

Not letting her gossip was worse than killing the gossiper.

“Who are you, not letting me gossip?”

“Limited by the Heavenly Dao, human power is hard to defy. To pass the tribulation, you must accept it.”

“Accept my ass! What Heavenly Dao? How old are you? What cultivation? Do you have a partner? What color pants are you wearing? Don’t let me find out where you are! This world is broken and rotten, and you talk about Heavenly Dao? This old lady will eventually venture into the ancient realm and find this lost heaven!”

“Boom!” The illusion shattered.

Lu Xingzhou was still in front of her, shirtless, watching her cautiously. “You… are you okay now?”

Sheng Yuan turned her head and looked at him for a while, then grinned.

“Nice abs,” Sheng Yuan swaggered forward and grabbed his shoulder. “Why are you looking so scared? I won’t eat you.”

“How did you… pass this tribulation?”

“What ‘how did I pass it’? It was dead simple. As soon as Shen Tang cried, I passed!”

Lu Xingzhou: “???”

What kind of tribulation did you pass that required Tangtang to cry?

Amidst Lu Xingzhou’s bewilderment, Sheng Yuan passed through three tribulations and broke through to Tengyun, at the age of twenty.