Su Ji's blurted remark—"First Wife"—exploded like a clap of thunder amidst the noisy thoroughfare.
The mountain-shaking, tsunami-like sounds of kowtowing came to an abrupt halt.
The surrounding commoners froze on the spot.
They looked at one another, their faces written with bewilderment.
The Immortal Elder... has a family?
And judging by that form of address, does that imply there is more than one?
Well, it makes sense.
Even an Immortal's flatulence is extraordinary.
Having three wives and four concubines is perfectly normal.
The sycophantic smile on the Merchant Guild Head's face stiffened, and for a moment, he didn't know how to react.
As for Su Jiu, after a brief moment of stunned silence, her cold, exquisitely beautiful face was covered in a layer of frost at a speed visible to the naked eye.
She simply stood there quietly, not saying a word.
But within those clear eyes, there was no longer any trace of her usual shyness or annoyance; only a pure, undisguised glacial chill remained.
Su Ji's scalp instantly went numb.
He could physically feel the temperature in the surrounding air plummeting at a terrifying rate.
It was over.
Su Ji opened his mouth, attempting to explain something.
But looking at Su Jiu's expression, any sophistry he had prepared got stuck in his throat, unable to force out a single word.
A strange, deathly silence descended upon the long street.
In this suffocating atmosphere, Su Jiu moved.
Her figure seemed weightless, swaying slightly as she crossed the distance of dozens of feet without a sound, appearing directly in front of Su Ji.
Su Ji didn't even see her movements clearly; he only felt a blur before his eyes, followed by a gust of cold wind carrying a faint body fragrance rushing toward his face.
The next moment, his ear was firmly seized by a cold, soft little hand.
"Hiss—"
Su Ji sucked in a breath of cold air from the pain and instinctively tried to struggle.
However, that seemingly delicate hand contained a terrifying power he couldn't resist at all, rendering him immobile.
"Come back with me."
Su Jiu's voice betrayed no emotion.
Yet, Su Ji could hear the undertone of a coming storm.
"Hey, hey, hey! Easy! Easy!"
Su Ji winced and cried out in a hushed voice, "So many people are watching, give me some face!"
"Face?"
Su Jiu finally turned her head, glancing at him with those icy eyes.
It was clearly visible that her cheeks were puffed up. "You, Su Ji, still care about face?"
Having said that, she ignored Su Ji's ghostly wailing and wolfish howling, dragging him away by the ear. Her movements were crisp and decisive, without the slightest hesitation.
The commoners on the street stared blankly at this dramatic scene unfolding before them.
This... what is this situation?
The Immortal Elder's domestic affairs seem... somewhat complicated?
Seeing their Immortal Elder, whom they revered like a god, about to be dragged away by this "Immortal Elder's Wife" who had appeared out of nowhere, the Merchant Guild Head was the first to react.
He scrambled up from the ground, disregarding his own dignity, and rushed forward in three steps combined into two, blocking Su Jiu's path.
"This... this Fairy, please stay your hand!"
The Merchant Guild Head squeezed out an incredibly humble smile, carefully choosing his words.
"The Immortal Elder... he turned the tide for our Anyang City and suffered heavy injuries. I ask the Fairy to raise her hand high in mercy, and do not..."
Before he could finish his sentence, Su Jiu swept a cold glance over him.
Just one glance.
The Merchant Guild Head felt as if he had fallen into an ice cave. The second half of his sentence was forcibly stuck in his throat, never to be spoken.
Su Ji saw this and knew he couldn't let Su Jiu continue to make a scene; otherwise, the glorious image he had worked so hard to establish would be ruined in a single day.
He quickly cleared his throat, adopting a tone that was both helpless and doting, and waved his hand at the Merchant Guild Head.
"It is fine, it is fine."
"My wife lacks strict discipline; I have let everyone see a joke."
"When we get back, I will definitely serve her a good stick-beating until she behaves."
As he spoke, he winked vigorously at Su Jiu, the meaning self-evident: That's enough, if you keep making a scene, it will be hard to end this.
Only then did Su Jiu reluctantly loosen her grip, lowering her voice to a whisper: "I'll deal with you when we get back."
Seeing Su Ji's subdued appearance, a lightbulb went off in the minds of the Merchant Guild Head and the commoners behind him. They instantly "filled in the blanks" of the narrative.
Of course! Since ancient times, even heroes struggle to pass the trial of beauty!
The Immortal Elder must be deeply in love with this Fairy, which is why he is willing to suffer such "humiliation"!
Thinking of this, the gaze the crowd directed at Su Ji contained not a hint of contempt, but rather a newfound understanding and respect born of shared suffering.
Su Jiu also sensed the strange gazes from the surroundings. She frowned slightly and strode away.
Su Ji followed.
"Hey, Wifey, slow down a bit, my injuries haven't healed yet..."
Su Ji's voice drifted further and further away down the long street.
The Merchant Guild Head stared blankly at the retreating figures of the pair, finally letting out a long sigh, a complex expression of "I understand" appearing on his face.
"The Immortal Elder... is truly a man of deep sentiment."
...
Spring Breeze Pavilion, top floor private room.
The door was slammed shut with a "bang."
Su Jiu let go and shoved Su Ji inside.
Su Ji stumbled, nearly falling over, looking aggrieved.
"Murdering your husband!"
Su Jiu ignored his clowning. She simply turned around slowly and locked the door.
A soft "click" sounded, exceptionally clear in the quiet room.
Su Ji's heart skipped a beat, and the playful grin on his face faded slightly.
He watched as Su Jiu walked toward him step by step, that exquisite face still wearing that icy expression.
The atmosphere in the room was oppressive enough to make one breathless.
"Speak."
Su Jiu finally spoke, her voice cool and devoid of emotion.
"Those women—what was that about?"
"What women?"
Su Ji instinctively played dumb.
"Yesterday, I saw sword energy suddenly fill Anyang City. I was worried..."
"Anyway, I came back to investigate."
" seeing you looked weak, I didn't have the heart to disturb you."
"I intended to let you rest for a day."
Su Ji caught the key point: "So, you've been secretly spying on me since yesterday?"
Su Jiu obviously didn't want to admit to the spying.
"Lord Immortal Elder certainly rested well last night."
He could feel that Su Jiu was truly angry.
It wasn't the playful annoyance from before, but a genuine grievance mixed with disappointment stemming from the heart.
"No... listen to my explanation..."
Su Ji tried to appease her.
"That was..."
"That was what?"
Su Jiu interrupted him, pressing closer step by step. The distance between them was so close that Su Ji could even smell the unique, cool body fragrance on her.
"That was to soothe the hearts of the people, just acting a part?"
"Or perhaps, in between managing a myriad of affairs and saving the common people, the Great Immortal Su also needs a few mortal women to adjust his body and mind?"
Her voice carried a trace of sourness that even she hadn't noticed.
Su Ji looked at her eyes, which were misting over, and his heart softened. All his sophistry couldn't be spoken.
He knew that this time, he had indeed gone a bit too far.
He sighed and softened his stance.
"I was wrong."
"But I really didn't play with a single one of them."
As he spoke, he began to undo his belt. "If you don't believe me, inspect my Spiritual Root yourself."
Upon hearing this, Su Jiu stiffened; she clearly hadn't expected Su Ji to admit his fault so readily.
The frost in Su Jiu's eyes thawed slightly, replaced by a complex mix of emotions.
"What exactly did you do wrong?"
"I..."
Su Ji was about to say that he shouldn't have forgotten her.
However, the words died on his lips. He felt that such an answer was too bland and lacked the necessary profundity to settle the matter once and for all.
Then, his eyes darted about as a scheme formed in his mind.
In an instant, Su Ji's face contorted into an expression of utter heartbreak and remorse.
"My mistake lay in... it lay in underestimating the depth of your affection for me, Junior Sister!"
Su Jiu instantly bristled with indignation. "Who has deep affection for you?!"
"Speak properly!"
young master of the Shen family—a figure of immense power and wealth beyond measure—and awakened the "Destined Ultimate Villain System"! His starting scenario? Running into his icy fiancée who shows up with a mountain-descending divine doctor to break off their engagement. The divine doctor arrogantly taunts: "What does your Shen family have besides a bit of stinking money? You're not even worthy of tying Qingxue's shoelaces!" Shen Fei just smiled. He completely defied the usual script: "Fine, I agree to break off the engagement. Also, notify the finance department to withdraw all investments from the Su family." Minutes later, with its capital chain severed, the Su Group teetered on the brink of bankruptcy! The once aloof and proud ice queen CEO was thrown into utter panic. That very night, she went to Shen Fei's villa, casting aside all dignity to beg and plead desperately... From then on, in this world teeming with Sons of Destiny, Shen Fei embarked on a path of extreme dimensional suppression! A mountain-descending divine doctor? Peerless medical skills? Shen Fei: "Reporting you for practicing medicine without a license! I'll gladly take your ancient medicinal cauldron and twin sister assassins." The Crooked-Smiling Dragon King? Commanding a hundred thousand soldiers with a single order? Shen Fei: "Illegal assembly and suspected treason! Let a fleet of attack helicopters sanitize the area and teach you what the state apparatus really means!" A reborn tycoon? Knows all the golden opportunities of the next decade? Shen Fei: "A trillion in capital to reverse and pump the stock market, making you blow your margin and jump on the very first day of your rebirth!" What Chosen Ones? What bearers of Heavenly Fortune? In Shen Fei's eyes, they're all just chives (i.e., suckers/marks) waiting to be harvested! Shen Fei: "Sorry, but as the Destined Ultimate Villain, I don't play by the rules of honor. I only play the game of dimensional suppression."
world slacker. But a genius female disciple just had to get clingy, insisting that he take her as a disciple. Not only that, she was always making advances on him, thoroughly disrupting his peaceful slacker life...
ap a wealthy young lady? Or else I'll be eliminated by the system? Ye Feng, who awakened the Kidnapper System, originally wanted to live a peaceful life but never imagined he would become a kidnapper of young women. However, after some time, he discovered that all the girls the system ordered him to kidnap were far from ordinary. "Big brother Ye Feng~ You've kidnapped my heart, and now you're not allowed to leave me ever again~" "Ye Feng~ You kidnapped me back then, now it's my turn to capture you♡" "Little Feng, you're mine! You can only be mine!" "Ye Feng, none of them deserve you. Only I love you the most♡" ... This is madness, they've all gone mad! Wait, what? Why are all the girls I kidnapped yanderes?!
e bizarre and supernatural had descended. The previous emperor was a thoroughgoing tyrant; no longer satisfied with human women, he had set his sights on a stunningly beautiful supernatural entity. He met his end in his bedchamber, drained of all his vital essence. As the legitimate eldest son and crown prince, Wang Hao was thus hastily enthroned, becoming the young emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty. No sooner had he awakened the "Imperial Sign-In Intelligence System" than he was assassinated by a Son of Destiny—a classic villain's opening. The Great Zhou, ravaged by the former emperor's excesses, was in national decline. The great families within its borders harbored their own treacherous schemes, martial sects began to defy the imperial court's decrees, and border armies, their pay and provisions in arrears, grumbled incessantly against the central government. Fortunately, the central capital was still held secure by the half-million Imperial Guards and fifty thousand Imperial Forest Army who obeyed the court's orders, along with the royal family's hidden reserves of power, barely managing to suppress the realm. As the Great Zhou's finances worsened and supernatural activities grew ever more frequent, the court sat atop a volcano. Ambitious plotters everywhere dreamed of overthrowing the dynasty, and even some reclusive ancient powers emerged, attempting to sway the tides of the world. At the first grand court assembly, the civil and military officials nearly came to blows, fighting tooth and nail over the allocation of fifty million taels of silver from the summer tax revenues. The spectacle opened Wang Hao's eyes—the Great Zhou's bureaucracy was not only corrupt but also martially proficient, a cabinet of all-rounders. Some officials even had the audacity to suggest the emperor release funds from the imperial privy purse to address the emergency. Wang Hao suddenly felt weary. Let it all burn.
