The moment Gu Yuena stood on her tiptoes, Lu Jingming understood her heart's desire.
A knowing, gentle smile flashed in his eyes. Without the slightest hesitation, he stretched out his arms, powerfully wrapped them around her slender, barely-a-handful waist, pulled her even tighter into his embrace, and proactively returned the kiss, which was laden with trust, dependence, and the first bloom of love.
The moonlight poured down like mercury, gently enveloping the embracing couple, outlining a hazy, sacred halo around them.
The night breeze seemed to tactfully lighten its steps, afraid of disturbing this beautiful scene frozen in time.
Their figures intertwined on the balcony, seemingly becoming the most moving sight in the tranquil night.
However, this picturesque moment did not escape hidden gazes.
Under the shadow of a nearby colonnade, Firefly had quietly stood there at some point.
Her heterochromatic blue-pink eyes were fixed unblinkingly on the embracing figures beneath the moonlight.
She remained silent, her hands clenched into fists, her knuckles slightly white from the exertion.
There was no obvious expression on her face, which usually carried emotions of resilience and fervor. Still, the subtly pursed line of her lips and her focused, almost obstinate gaze betrayed that her heart was not completely untouched.
And on the higher level of the flying eaves and upturned corners, Castorice sat quietly, clutching her beloved book, like a secluded orchid blooming under the moonlight.
The moonlight outlined her gentle and serene profile, coating her entire being in a clear glow.
She maintained her customary, gentle, slightly vague smile. Yet, upon closer inspection, one would notice that the smile seemed a fraction fainter than usual. A hint of an extremely subtle, difficult-to-capture complex emotion flickered deep within her eyes before being quietly suppressed by her strong self-control, returning to that soft silence.
The moonlight continued to sprinkle down gently, and the night breeze continued to softly rustle the treetops, bringing a whispering sound.
But beneath this seemingly calm and harmonious night, the subtle ripple named emotion had quietly spread with that kiss under the moon.
The warmth under the moonlight, like silk and threads, did not dissipate as they walked away. Instead, it subtly warmed at their clasped fingertips, like fine wine aged for years, intoxicatingly fragrant.
Lu Jingming tightly held Gu Yuena's cool, soft hand, guiding her through the silent, empty corridor toward his private bed-chambers.
The temperature in his palm was fiery and steady, silently conveying a tacit expectation that was exceptionally clear in the quiet night.
Gu Yuena quietly walked beside him. Her silver hair, reflected in the dim yellow light of the corridor, flowed with a dreamlike, illusory luster.
She slightly lowered her eyelids, her thick, long eyelashes like butterfly wings, cleverly concealing the shyness circulating in her violet eyes.
With her intelligence, how could she not perceive the increasingly fervent gaze of the man beside her, and the meaning, transcending words, contained within the leading strength of his grip?
Her heart was like a small pond into which a stone had been thrown, ripples spreading in layers, carrying a little flurry, but more of a settled tranquility.
She had no intention of pulling away. Instead, her fingertips moved, and she gripped his hand tighter, clearly conveying her silent assent.
This was both a response to the soul-stirring vow he made on the balcony just now and proof that she had lowered her heavy defenses, resolved to follow her heart, and step into this completely foreign yet tempting emotional territory.
The heavy considerations concerning her race, responsibility, and the future were momentarily put aside. She only wished to immerse herself in this pure, fluttering moment.
However, as Lu Jingming raised his hand to push open the carved wooden door, the scene inside was like a well-timed basin of cold water, instantly freezing the perfectly brewed amorous atmosphere.
Inside the room, Firefly was sitting upright on a pear-blossom wood armchair, her back poker straight. Her pair of blue-pink eyes looked exceptionally bright under the lamplight, carrying an almost obstinate seriousness.
By the soft couch near the window, Castorice was elegantly holding a teapot and pouring tea, her movements fluid and smooth. The misty fragrance of tea quietly permeated the air.
Hearing the door open, she raised her eyes, her face still bearing her usual, gentle smile that seemed capable of encompassing everything.
"...?"
Lu Jingming was stunned for a moment, then came to a realization. A helpless, yet amused, curve couldn't help but form on his lips.
He understood the intentions of these two girls all too well.
Gu Yuena also paused slightly. The blush on her cheeks subtly receded a bit, restoring her usual cool and self-possessed demeanor. She settled back to watch the development with calm composure. A hint of light, spectating amusement even flashed through her violet eyes.
Firefly was the first to stand up, her movements crisp and swift. She took a few steps to stand before Lu Jingming.
She lifted her small face, which held a look of determination. Her gaze was clear and persistent, and her tone was so direct it allowed no question: "A'Ming, I've fallen far behind."
Her voice carried a sense of urgency and unwillingness to concede.
"I want to be included too."
This resolution was fervent and candid.
Castorice also gently put down the white jade teapot. She approached with light steps, her voice soft like a flowing spring, yet containing an equally unyielding resolve.
"A'Ming, this time."
She paused slightly, her gaze meeting his.
"I won't back down again."
Though her words were light, they seemed to carry a ton of weight.
Lu Jingming looked at the two girls before him, who also shared a deep bond with him and had clearly formed a unified front. Sensing the increasingly calm, even playfully teasing gaze from Gu Yuena beside him, his lips couldn't help but twitch slightly. He felt a throbbing headache that was both exasperated and amused.
He raised a hand to rub his temples, a playful glint flashing in his eyes. He deliberately drew out his words and wickedly teased, "Oh? You two asked for this yourselves, 'together'? You must keep your word. Don't regret it later."
The moment these words left his mouth, the effect was immediate.
Blush instantly rushed to Firefly and Castorice's pretty faces, as if they were painted with the brightest rouge.
The two subconsciously exchanged a look. The courage that had surged up, stimulated by the scene under the moon, instantly deflated like a punctured balloon under Lu Jingming's direct and ambiguous retort, leaving only profound embarrassment and confusion.
Facing him alone required summoning considerable courage, let alone the three of them together... Their actions just now were indeed more a result of impulse.
Gu Yuena's ears felt hot upon hearing his words. She couldn't resist extending a slender, beautiful finger to precisely pinch the soft flesh at his waist, giving it a gentle twist. Simultaneously, she raised her eyes and glared at him with a mix of shyness and reproach, silently condemning his slip of the tongue.
"Alright, alright, I was just joking."
Lu Jingming knew when to stop and quickly begged for forgiveness. The teasing look on his face receded, replaced by warmth and seriousness.
"Tonight, let us quietly cultivate together. Firefly, Castorice, you two also need to step up your comprehension, strive to condense your Second Soul Core soon, and break through the bottleneck to Title Douluo. The road ahead is long, and strength is the foundation."
He had his own sense of propriety.
Even with their intimate relationship, he would not be so absurdly frivolous about the three girls' first experience.
For a woman, the first time is always special and worth cherishing. Even if there was no need to deliberately create romance, it should be treated with solemnity on a one-on-one basis.
Such a high-intensity situation right from the start would be too aggressive for them and was not what he desired.
With Gu Yuena just now, the passion was mutual, and things were proceeding naturally. He was naturally going to follow the flow.
Although Firefly and Castorice's appearance interrupted the process, he wasn't truly angry.
How could he not know their intentions?
Moreover, the fact that the four of them could be in the same room tonight, even if only for pure cultivation, was in some sense a breakthrough and a closer step in their relationship. Did it count as a subtle small step towards his distant dream of sleeping together under the same blanket?
A smile couldn't help but cross his eyes as he thought about this.
Star Luo Empire, Imperial Council Hall.
Within the towering palace, the dome was high, and though carved beams and painted rafters adorned the space, an oppressive feeling of an impending storm permeated the air.
The lineup gathered here was virtually unprecedented in ten thousand years, encompassing almost all the core forces resisting the Spirit Empire on the Douluo Continent.
The air seemed to solidify. Every breath carried a heavy weight. Representatives from all sides sat down, their eyes intertwining with scrutiny, wariness, and a complicated emotion born from being forced to cooperate against a powerful enemy.
On one side of the hall, centered around Emperor Dai Yutian of the Star Luo Empire, the imperial might was vast.
Beside him were Dai Weisi, Zhu Zhuyun, and the increasingly composed and restrained Dai Mubai and the stunningly cold Zhu Zhuqing.
Adjacent to them were the surviving forces of the Heaven Dou Empire, led by Prince Xue Xing and Prince Xue Beng. Though they had lost their territory, the flame of restoration in their eyes had not been extinguished.
Ning Fengzhi, the Sect Master of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School, sat composedly. Beneath his gentle, jade-like exterior lay unfathomable wisdom. Sword Douluo Chen Xin and Bone Douluo Gu Rong stood quietly beside him like two guardian mountains, their aura contained but ready to burst forth.
Poison Douluo Dugu Bo leaned back seemingly lazily, but the sharp gaze beneath his half-closed eyelids swept the room like a viper, carrying a warning to keep one's distance.
Thunder Douluo Yu Yuanzhen, the Sect Master of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, sat with a pale complexion due to his unhealed serious injuries, yet his spine was still ramrod straight, refusing to bend.
Howling Heaven Douluo Tang Xiao, the Sect Master of the Clear Sky School, sat in silence, his aura as heavy as a mountain, seemingly capable of suppressing all restlessness, representing the majesty of the continent's number one sect.
The core members of Shrek Academy, led by Grandmaster Yu Xiaogang, Liu Erlong, and Flander, were also present.
And behind them, the young generation's elites—Tang San, Xiao Wu, Ning Rongrong, Oscar, and Ma Hongjun—sat properly, the greenness of their past having faded, leaving only solemnity.
In contrast to this massive lineup was another, smaller group of people who were impossible to ignore.
Xuan Zi, Ma Xiaotao, Han Ruoruo, Xu Sanshi... These mysterious individuals who had disrupted the Spirit Empire's conspiracy sat apart. Though silent, they naturally exuded a heart-palpitating pressure.
The occasional flicker of brilliance in Xuan Zi's seemingly murky eyes suggested his Rank 98 Peak Douluo Soul Power fluctuation was like an undercurrent beneath a calm sea, unfathomably deep.
The faint, fiery Soul Power flowing around Ma Xiaotao carried the nobility and dominance of a phoenix, pure and powerful, causing even Ma Hongjun, who also possessed the Evil Fire Phoenix Spirit, to feel a jolt of kinship emanating from his bloodline.
However, what made the Peak powerhouses present even more inwardly wary were the two presences who had not appeared here—Jeanne and Aglaea.
Everyone was well aware that if those two mysterious powerhouses had not released an aura at the critical moment that made even the newly ascended Angel God, Qian Renxue, hesitate and not dare to act rashly, they would never have been able to successfully transfer the core forces of the Heaven Dou remnants to the Star Luo Empire from the Spirit Empire's intricate net.
Those two were the true trump cards capable of balancing a God-level threat and the invisible foundation upon which this current alliance could even sit here and negotiate.
Dai Yutian, as the host and the empire's monarch, deeply understood the fragility of the alliance at this moment.
He took a deep breath, and his majestic, steady voice broke the suffocating silence, echoing throughout the vast hall:
"Sect Masters, Seniors, Allies."
His gaze was sharp as a torch, slowly sweeping over every face in the room, finally settling on Xuan Zi. His tone was solemn and candid.
"Today, we are able to cast aside past grievances and prejudices to gather here in the Star Luo Palace simply because we all face the same unprecedented catastrophe—the Spirit Empire and its two powerhouses who have already ascended to the God-level."
He paused slightly, allowing the heavy pressure brought by the two deities to permeate everyone's hearts before continuing:
"Bibi Dong and Qian Renxue—either one possesses the power to overturn the continent's structure. With two gods reigning, their momentum is overwhelming. Any single one of our forces, against such divine might, is like a praying mantis trying to stop a carriage. The situation is clear: united, there is still a chance of survival; divided, we will surely perish. This concerns our survival and the future of the continent."
Dai Yutian's voice carried gravity, laying the necessity of the alliance bare on the table.
Then, his focus shifted, his gaze becoming sharper, directed at the core issue:
"However, the alliance values sincerity, and its foundation lies in trust. Before we discuss the grand strategy for resisting the enemy, some things must be clarified."
His eyes locked firmly on Xuan Zi, his tone earnest.
"Senior Xuan Zi, and all the friends you have brought... Your identities, your objectives, and those two seniors who have not shown their faces... All of this concerns whether the alliance we are about to forge will be solid, and whether we can truly entrust our backs to each other. For the trust necessary to fight side-by-side, please... be completely frank."
In an instant, all gazes in the hall—be they curious, scrutinizing, grateful, or still carrying deep suspicion—focused simultaneously on the seemingly unremarkable, even somewhat disheveled, old man.
Xuan Zi, one of the most unfathomable existences in terms of overt strength present, was someone in the hearts of those present whom perhaps only Sword Douluo Chen Xin could match in combat.
Although he and his people had saved Thunder Douluo, exposed Qian Renxue's shocking disguise, and successfully escorted the Heaven Dou core forces to safety here, his overly mysterious and powerful origin was like a sharp blade shrouded in mist. While they relied on his strength, they couldn't help but feel apprehension and hesitation.
This unknown factor was the first, and most crucial, hurdle facing the fragile alliance.
If they couldn't figure out the origins and purposes of Xuan Zi and his group, they wouldn't be able to completely trust them.
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