Chapter 30: Pretending to Be Husband and Wife
“Booking the whole place in broad daylight — they say that wastrel’s in a foul mood. I heard he stormed out of the Prince of Demon Suppression’s Mansion, wanting to drown his sorrows in wine…”
“What happened? Could it be that this wastrel is about to be punished for leaking the news of the marriage alliance between the Demon Suppression Prince’s Mansion and the Marquis of Divine Might’s Residence ahead of time?”
“No idea. But from the whispers coming from Yuxian Pavilion, it seems they’re saying the Demon Suppression King has an illegitimate child?”
“What?!”
“Is that true or false? The Demon Suppression King and the Princess Consort have always been a model couple — respectful and harmonious. How could he possibly have a bastard child outside?”
“Well, men, you know… He’s been stationed in the southern border for years, living a soldier’s life. It’s not impossible to imagine that loneliness might get the better of him.”
“Tsk, who would’ve thought?”
For a time, countless rumors spread across the streets and alleys of the imperial capital.
The pleasure quarters, always fond of gossip, naturally rejoiced — especially since this rumor involved someone standing at the very peak of Great Qian’s power: the Demon Suppression King himself.
Many great clans and noble families were equally shocked.
One after another, they quietly sent their spies to investigate, hoping to discern the truth.
“The Demon Suppression King has an illegitimate child?”
Inside the Eastern Palace, Crown Prince Xia Chongming was equally stunned and shaken. His expression darkened and shifted unpredictably.
Possessing a deep and calculating mind, he instantly connected the dots to many things.
If the rumor were true, it would indeed be explosive.
If the Demon Suppression King truly had an illegitimate child outside, then knowing the temperament of the old City Lord of Qilin City’s Sword Lodge, he might just draw his sword and rush to the southern border to confront him.
“Did that wastrel mention who the child is?”
Xia Chongming, intrigued by the gossip, ordered his retainers to go and inquire.
An illegitimate child of questionable birth would only tarnish the Demon Suppression King’s reputation in court — which, of course, was to the Crown Prince’s benefit.
Meanwhile, in the Demon Suppression Prince’s Mansion, the elders of the clan — including Shen Zhigao — all turned livid, their faces as dark as charcoal.
They wished they could storm straight into Yuxian Pavilion and stuff something into Shen Yanzhou’s mouth.
That man really couldn’t keep any scandal to himself.
Had he never heard the saying, “Family shame must not be spread outside”?
Fortunately, the so-called “illegitimate child” was entirely fabricated.
A little clarification later would suffice.
Shen Yanzhou hadn’t mentioned anything about the real heir or the stand-in.
“With that man’s brain, I doubt he could even figure it out.”
“But perhaps it’s for the best. Using the ‘illegitimate child’ rumor to confuse the truth ahead of time — later, we can release the real information we prepared.”
“Now we just need Jingxiao’s side to finish the arrangements.”
Shen Zhigao and several elders huddled together, discussing in low tones.
They believed everything was still within their control.
In their original plan, they had intended to use an undercover agent planted within the Nether Sect to leak certain information, thereby stirring unrest in the capital and revealing the truth of the “swapped heir” incident that happened twenty years ago.
However, the unexpected destruction of Tianji Studio had delayed those plans.
……
In the Wu Residence, Wu Ruyue, who had been waiting for news from Shen Yanzhou, knitted her brows tightly.
She had naturally heard the rumors spreading outside.
“As expected, just as Shen Yanzhou said — all of this is targeted at the Demon Suppression Prince’s Mansion. And now there are even rumors claiming that the Demon Suppression King has an illegitimate child…”
“This morning, Shen Tian went to pay a visit to the Demon Suppression Prince’s Mansion. The timing of this rumor’s appearance is far too convenient.”
“So this is the true goal of the Nether Sect — to throw the Demon Suppression Prince’s Mansion into the eye of the storm, causing chaos throughout the capital?”
At that moment, countless thoughts ran through her mind.
The chill in her eyes was nearly impossible to contain.
Were it not for fear of alarming the enemy, she would have already made a move — to seize Shen Tian, who was temporarily residing in the Wu Residence, and interrogate him directly.
……
Night fell.
The hour of the ox.
Inside Yuxian Pavilion — still the same riverside room — the air was filled with laughter and the fragrance of powder and rouge.
Shen Yanzhou, reeking of wine, sat sprawled upon a bamboo mat, his expression dazed from intoxication.
Chunchao, who had originally stood outside the door with her sword, had been “coaxed” by Shen Yanzhou into coming inside. Her ever-present sword now rested in a corner.
Several courtesans in daring dresses, baring large swathes of pale skin, took great delight in teasing the innocent, pure-hearted Chunchao — brushing against her and feeding her wine.
Under Shen Yanzhou’s deliberate arrangement, a few cups of fruit wine later, her fair cheeks were flushed red. She felt dizzy and lightheaded, eventually leaning right into Shen Yanzhou’s arms.
The faint fragrance that belonged only to Chunchao kept drifting into his nose.
It was a scent distinct from that of rouge — like an orchid blooming quietly in a secluded valley at night: cool, clean, and intoxicatingly refreshing.
“Chunchao, you’re drunk,” Shen Yanzhou said with a smile.
The outside world’s rumors and gossip had nothing to do with him.
The entire day, he had been lost in this haze of drunken pleasure and indulgence.
After all, by deliberately pushing the Demon Suppression Prince’s Mansion into the spotlight, he had reaped quite a few negative emotions.
【Name: Shen Yanzhou】
【Techniques: None】
【Secret Arts: Selfless Sword Heart (Fragment, Minor Accomplishment 1/4)】
【Realm: None】
【Available Basic Points: 0 (421.21/100)】
Over the past few days, all the accumulated negative emotions had nearly reached over four hundred points.
“This fruit wine… there’s something wrong with it…”
Chunchao’s cheeks were rosy, her originally tied black hair now loosened and cascading down.
She murmured softly, dazed.
“You’re not that foolish after all.”
With a faint smile, Shen Yanzhou lifted her from his lap and laid her gently onto the bed.
The room was a mess — all the courtesans who had been serving them were lying drunk around the floor, their skirts disheveled and revealing glimpses of pale skin.
“Are you sure this won’t cause any problems?”
A sudden cold voice came from behind the screen.
Dressed in coarse hemp clothes, Chu Xiuer stood there with arms crossed, watching as Shen Yanzhou rose and tidied his robes.
“There’ll be traces, of course,” Shen Yanzhou replied casually. “But that’s natural. Later, we’ll pin the blame on the Nether Sect. No one will doubt it.”
Including Chunchao, all the wine they had drunk had been laced with a kind of drug called Rouge Soul-Dispelling Powder, a narcotic so subtle that even martial experts could be affected without realizing it.
Afterward, they would remain unconscious for two or three days before waking.
This kind of drug had always come from the hands of the Nether Sect — something far beyond what Shen Yanzhou could obtain with his current means.
But… Fu Yuying, as the Saintess of the Southern Border, certainly had her ways to acquire it.
Since she had previously appeared at Tianji Studio and successfully framed the Primordial Demon Sect, naturally, she also had ways to shift the blame onto the Nether Sect.
“Of course, the most important trace is still the Breath of the Netherworld.” Shen Yanzhou glanced at Chu Xiuer, as if to confirm.
Chu Xiuer gave a light snort and carefully retrieved a white jade vial from her bosom.
The moment she uncorked it, a faint, shadowy aura drifted out — like an explosion of silent fireworks — spilling across the room.
The temperature dropped instantly, as if they had stepped into a burning inferno of the netherworld.
“Though the Breath of the Netherworld is difficult to obtain, with the young lady’s methods, it wasn’t too hard to find,” she said, slightly tilting her delicate chin, her tone carrying a hint of pride.
“With the Nether Sect’s usual style, if they kidnapped the Demon Suppression King’s heir, they would surely leave traces behind to claim the deed. That’s their way, after all…” Shen Yanzhou smiled faintly.
As he spoke, he pulled from his robe a prepared slip of paper, upon which several vigorous brushstrokes read:
“Hidden Moon Mountain, Forest of No Return, Shen Jingxiao, come in person.”
“Let’s go.”
After finishing his arrangements, Shen Yanzhou was the first to push open the back window, leaping over the courtyard wall beyond the inner room.
Chu Xiuer followed closely after.
By now, it was well past the hour of the ox. Though faint lamplight still glimmered in the surrounding pavilions, the earlier liveliness was long gone.
A short distance away, at the entrance of a nearby alley, a carriage draped entirely in white mourning cloth awaited them.
In the Great Qian imperial capital, the city gates always opened early — typically at a quarter past the hour of the tiger.
Anyone caught breaking curfew before that would be questioned by patrolling guards or night watchmen. Minor offenders would be flogged, while serious ones would be thrown into prison — only illness, childbirth, or death were exceptions.
To safely avoid such inspections, Shen Yanzhou had long discussed the matter with Fu Yuying. With the many years of influence her Luofu Cloud Cavern held in the capital, arranging a fake “returning home for a funeral” story was hardly difficult.
Inside the carriage filled with white mourning cloth, Shen Yanzhou saw Fu Yuying, now disguised.
Unlike her usual alluring elegance, she had adopted a gentler demeanor.
Her beauty was toned down to something quietly graceful, her hair covered with white silk, and her clothes those of a mourning widow — giving her an indescribable charm.
“Throughout the journey out of the capital, you and I shall pretend to be husband and wife. My current identity is that of a merchant’s daughter-in-law from the wealthy Li family of the capital — Lin Qingwan. You are Li Yun, the sickly young master of the Li family — proficient in all the vices of drinking, gambling, and womanizing, thus afflicted with venereal disease. This trip home is to bury your recently deceased grandmother…”
Fu Yuying sat upright, her demeanor calm yet serious, and gave these instructions to Shen Yanzhou as he entered the carriage.
“Venereal disease…”
Shen Yanzhou tugged slightly at the corner of his mouth — clearly, she had chosen that role for him intentionally, with a bit of hidden meaning.
But he didn’t mind.
Once they left the capital, this false identity would barely matter.
“Have you remembered it, Young Master Shen? Don’t make any mistakes.”
Fu Yuying’s bright eyes fixed on him seriously.
After all, this was a matter involving the “abduction” of the Demon Suppression King’s heir. A single misstep could bring total disaster upon her Luofu Cloud Cavern.
Shen Yanzhou smiled lightly and nodded. “Your husband remembers, my dear wife.”
Fu Yuying froze slightly — had he gotten into character that quickly, or was he just teasing her?
“Xiuer, disguise Young Master Shen. As for his mannerisms, there’s no need to overdo it. The guards and night watchmen at the city gates won’t notice much.”
She dismissed the matter with a calm tone.
Chu Xiuer’s disguise skills were impeccable. Even the “birthmark” on her own cheek looked completely natural.
While Chu Xiuer applied the disguise to Shen Yanzhou’s face, Fu Yuying pulled two Gu worms from her sleeve — one large and one small.
They looked like flower-patterned butterflies, their luminous wings patterned like gnarled branches of an ancient tree, roots sprawling outward.
“This is the Shewu Gu,” she explained.
“It’s only of the Seventh Rank — it’ll last no more than three days.”
Shen Yanzhou nodded.
He already knew of the thing, having personally requested its use from Fu Yuying to ensure their safety during this mission.
“Three days will be enough,” he said.
Without another word, Fu Yuying raised her hand, scattering glimmers of crystalline light.
The two Gu worms flew apart — one landing on her palm, biting down gently; the other flew toward Shen Yanzhou and did the same.
A cool sensation spread instantly as the worms’ essence merged with their bodies.
Feeling a faint sting, Shen Yanzhou suddenly experienced a strange, indescribable connection — as though he and Fu Yuying shared an invisible bond, even an unspoken closeness.
It was as if they were lovers bound by fate, sworn to live and die together, to walk the ends of the earth hand in hand.
“So this is what it feels like to share life and death. Interesting,” Shen Yanzhou said with a soft smile.
Fu Yuying lowered her gaze, suppressing the odd feeling in her chest.
The Shewu Gu’s “life-and-death link” was only a surface effect.
In truth, it caused their souls to harmonize, establishing a form of “spiritual resonance.”
Originally, the couple who created the Shewu Gu had merely sought to perfect their love through it.
Though she knew the feeling came from the Gu’s influence — not genuine emotion — she still found herself drawn to Shen Yanzhou, her heart stirring, her body craving closeness.
Silently, Fu Yuying recited the Clear Heart Sutra, forcing herself to regain composure and dispel the stray emotions.
Shen Yanzhou, watching her subconsciously cross her long, slender legs and brush back the hair from her forehead, also felt something unusual stir within him.
He was a rational man — pure-minded and clear-headed. Though he had inherited much of the original body’s memories, he was not one to lose himself to desire. Yet as he looked at Fu Yuying now, he couldn’t deny it — she was beautiful, alluring even, and he couldn’t help wanting to move closer, to hold her, to…
“Young Master Shen, are you thinking of something improper?”
Feeling Shen Yanzhou’s intense gaze, Fu Yuying cast him a sideways glance — her tone light, but her certainty unmistakable.
“……”
Shen Yanzhou coughed lightly and turned his head away.
“The Shewu Gu’s side effects are quite something…” he muttered, trying to change the subject.
When they first met, Fu Yuying had seemed languid and seductive. But after spending more time with her, he found her temperament rather reserved.
Fu Yuying’s tone grew faint. “Since you were so insistent on using the Shewu Gu, I assumed you understood all its effects.”
Shen Yanzhou, despite his vast knowledge, only had the memory of the original host to rely on — and that offered limited understanding of this world.
He had merely known that the Gu could bind two people’s lives together — nothing more.
He chuckled softly. “Well, perhaps it’s for the best. Otherwise, people might realize we’re only pretending to be husband and wife.”
“Right, my dear wife?”
“……”
Fu Yuying ignored him, silently chanting the Clear Heart Sutra again.
Before long, Chu Xiuer finished Shen Yanzhou’s disguise.
His once-handsome features became plain, his brows softer, and with his sickly complexion, he now looked every bit the frail young master bedridden with illness.
“Still, I preferred the way you looked before…”
Even Fu Yuying, who had been trying not to pay attention to him, couldn’t help glancing sideways — only to quietly look away again.