Zanxing (Retranslated)

Extra 9 - Dual Cultivation (3)

Zanxing didn’t think much when she came to inn in Luoxia Wenying this time. She had shared a room with Gu Baiying in the past, and in the end, they had just slept separately. He was such a gentleman, to the point that sometimes Zanxing couldn’t help but wonder if he had some sort of hidden illness.

Crimson candle tears dripped one by one onto the table, and from the burning flame, a heavy fragrance began to spread, adding fuel to the already suggestive atmosphere. The air inside the room grew warmer and hotter.

Gu Baiying’s beautiful eyes were fixed on her, as if he was trying hard to suppress some dangerous emotion. His voice was a little hoarse as he said, “Something’s strange in this room. We should still leave…”

Before he could finish speaking, Zanxing moved closer.

She said, “Leave for what? The whole island is full of inns for Daoist couples. It would be the same no matter which inn we change to. Tonight, we need to find a place to rest. I am a dignified Demon King, I can’t exactly sleep out in the open, can I?”

Gu Baiying turned his gaze away. “We still can’t stay here.”

Zanxing took another step forward, forcing the young man to face her directly, her voice carrying a subtle temptation: “There’s nothing wrong with this place.”

“It’s not good,” Gu Baiying lowered his head, frowning at her. “There’s something wrong with the incense. If we stay here any longer…”

He pressed his lips together, not finishing the sentence.

Zanxing felt as though she were some sort of demonic villain luring an innocent young man, and she asked, “What will happen if we stay longer?”

Gu Baiying glanced at her, his jawline tensed. “Yang Zanxing, neither of us is married yet, so naturally, we can’t… can’t…”

Zanxing was almost laughing out of anger. She said, “I’m a demon! Have you ever seen a demon who follows human rules and insists on getting married before consummating?”

Perhaps she was standing too close, because Gu Baiying instinctively stepped back, accidentally tripping over the edge of the bed. He lost his balance and fell backward. Zanxing, taking advantage of the situation, ended up on top of him.

Gu Baiying’s whole body stiffened.

Zanxing propped herself up with her arms, staring into his eyes. Her tone was somewhat perplexed as she asked, “Gu Baiying, are you this scared because you have some kind of hidden illness?”

The air fell silent all of a sudden.

He slowly lifted his head, his expression changed the moment he heard the words “hidden illness.” The shyness he’d shown moments earlier instantly vanished, and he asked with gritted teeth: “What did you just say?”

“I’m thinking, every time, you act like you’re facing some great enemy, could it be that something is wrong with you?” Zanxing looked at him thoughtfully. “Where I come from, people always test things out before marriage. If you’re not capable, I won’t just jump into the fire pit willingly.”

“I’m not capable?” He asked slowly, his eyes darkening in an instant.

Zanxing nodded.

In the next moment, she felt a sudden whirl above her head, and their positions were instantly reversed. His handsome face was now right in front of her, and whether it was due to the stimulating fragrance in the air or something else, his usual bright gaze seemed to have a faint ripple to it. Yet his words were still harsh: “If you keep talking nonsense, I won’t be able to resist testing it out!”

After thinking for a moment, he emphasized again, “You know it too.”

The Harmony Heart Lock was right beside the bed. Although his words sounded fierce, his actions were gentle. The soft light of the red candles reflected a slight flush on his face, and the flickering flame cast a tender, lingering shadow.

Zanxing snorted, wrapped her arms around his neck, and moved closer, saying, “Fine, let’s test it then.”

“…”

The sound of the Jie Xin Bell rang throughout the entire night.

*

When Zanxing woke up the next morning, the red candles on the table had already burned out.

The room was a mess. She sat up, holding her waist, feeling utterly exhausted.

How could she describe it? She wasn’t sure if it was due to the incense in the room, but somehow, she felt more tired than she ever had during her body tempering breakthroughs in cultivation.

Many of the memories from last night were unclear, but she distinctly remembered wanting to strangle Gu Baiying at one point.

Thinking about it in the haze of passion now seemed utterly absurd.

Ah, how ridiculous.

Her clothes had already been put back on, most likely by Gu Baiying, and there was hot tea and snacks on the table. Not seeing him around, Zanxing moved to the table, took a sip of tea to soothe her throat, and rubbed her sore legs.

As she approached the door, she saw someone sitting by the stone table in the courtyard. Zanxing called out, “Gu Baiying,” and the person froze, stood up, and walked towards her, saying, “Why are you up?”

“I came to check if you were still here,” Zanxing said. “You disappeared early, and I thought you were about to play the old trick of abandoning me after having your way.”

At the mention of last night, Gu Baiying’s expression immediately changed. He seemed a bit regretful and embarrassed, clearing his throat, “Last night, I—”

“No need to explain,” Zanxing cut him off. “We both wanted it. If it hadn’t been last night, it would’ve been tonight or tomorrow night.” Having spent so much time in Heishi City, her words had become more casual, and she spoke with a bit of uninhibited boldness. Glancing at the red paper on the table, she asked, “What are you writing?”

There was already a stack of red paper on the table, covered in beautifully bold writing. Zanxing took a glance and froze: “Why are they all names?”

“It’s a guest list for the banquet,” Gu Baiying replied.

“A banquet?”

Gu Baiying raised an eyebrow and let out a soft laugh, “We’ve already dual cultivated, so naturally, we need to start planning the marriage. When we return, we can discuss it. There will be many guests from both the Demon and Human realms. I’ll draft the list, and you can review it later.”

Zanxing stared at him for a full moment before speaking, “Gu Baiying, have you gone mad?”

He was taken aback, then his brows gradually furrowed, “What do you mean?”

“We only dual cultivated for one night. There’s no need to get married immediately.” Zanxing was baffled. “Where did this old-fashioned thinking of yours even come from?” Though she didn’t mind the idea of marriage, getting married because of one night of dual cultivation just sounded far too strange!

Gu Baiying was equally incredulous as he stared at her. “Yang Zanxing, are you trying to renege?”

“Don’t make it sound so harsh,” Zanxing picked up the stick from the table and ran off. “In any case, I’m not planning to get married right now.”

“Yang Zanxing!”

The voices in the courtyard gradually faded, and a servant who came in to clean paused in surprise at the mess.

The innkeeper’s wife followed closely behind, clicking her tongue several times, muttering to herself, “Looks like those two weren’t idle last night.”

She stepped into the room, noticing the red canopy and scattered robes, and smiled knowingly. “So they chose Bridal Chamber Candles.” But when her gaze landed on the burnt-out red candles on the table, she froze again.

The innkeeper’s wife sniffed the remaining scent of the candle wax, her expression suddenly changing. “Who brought in Liu Huan Xiang?”

The cleaning servant asked in confusion, “Liu Huan Xiang?”

Liu Huan Xiang—wasn’t that incense made from the Liu Huan plant? It was said that ordinary people couldn’t withstand its effects, and once inhaled… There was even an old immortal who accidentally lit it once, only to die on the bed because the potency was too strong. After that incident, all inns in Luoxia Wenying banned the use of Liu Huan Xiang to avoid any more fatalities.

However, judging by how energetic the couple looked when they left earlier—especially the man—he seemed to have handled it well. Not only did he withstand it, but he seemed quite satisfied.

The innkeeper’s wife sighed, glancing at the wax remnants on the table with a bit of pity, and said enviously, “Ah, young men are truly something else.”