A goddess dwells in my heart.

Chapter 34 The Martial Emperor's Bewitching Consort

Lu Zheji pushed open the courtyard gate, where Lin Yuexi was already waiting.

The morning light slanted down from the eaves, falling on her moon-white skirt, making her slender figure appear even more frail.

When she saw him come out, she tilted her head slightly and softly called out, "Brother, let's go."

The two walked side by side on the stone path of the villa. Lin Yuexi walked beside him, leaning slightly against him, acting like an intimate brother and sister.

Lu Zheji suddenly felt a little dazed. Lin Yuexi's delicate and timid demeanor reminded him of the equally slender figure in his memory.

Unfortunately, now that she's grown up, that pitiful charm is gone, replaced by the aloofness of a high-and-mighty flower. It's not that she's unattractive, but she just doesn't have the same allure.

In her mind's eye, the goddess suddenly spoke slowly: "So that's how it is. Emperor Wu, you like hearing her call you 'brother' because you're used to being called that by Shen Kexin, aren't you?"

Lu Zheji remained silent for a moment, then silently replied in his mind, "That's right, that's exactly it."

It's definitely not because he's a pervert who likes to hear his sister call him "brother."

probably.

He glanced at Lin Yuexi, who was holding his arm. Although his younger sister's words last night, "Brother will always be my favorite brother," were definitely a wicked attempt to shift blame, they were still quite comforting to hear.

Just as she was thinking, Lin Yuexi suddenly leaned against his shoulder, her face still showing that obedient, submissive look, but behind his back, she spoke in a superior's tone:

"Aren't you going to explain what happened last night?"

Lu Zheji knew she was referring to his sudden outburst and injury of Yang Xinyong, and calmly replied, "Does Yue'er think I did something wrong?"

"This matter might interfere with the mission. Do you really think you're in the right?"

Lu Zheji smiled slightly: "Of course I'm not wrong, because I'm just carrying out a mission."

Lin Yuexi tilted her head, her clear black and white eyes saying, "Let's see how you explain this."

"The imperial court's mission was to protect Lin Zhengge, and the Lin family's requirement was that their identities not be revealed. I remember all of that."

"But I always remember that Senior Sister Yin's instructions to me were to come and fill in the numbers while also looking after Junior Sister."

Lu Zheji paused, then solemnly said, "There can only be one sun in the sky. In my heart, there is only one sun: Senior Sister Yin. Her orders are above all else to me. Since Senior Sister Yin said she would take care of Junior Sister, then I will protect her at all costs, without considering any consequences."

Lin Yuexi's lips curved slightly: "This child is teachable."

Lu Zheji chuckled inwardly; he had guessed correctly after all.

Since this is his first mission, his fellow disciple who is accompanying him is most likely responsible for assessing him and observing whether he is qualified as Yin Siyue's assassin.

Lin Yuexi transmitted her voice again, this time with a hint of self-righteous arrogance:

"Remember this: although our sect has always been fond of bullying the weak within its ranks, we only tolerate our own people doing so, and we will never allow outsiders to humiliate our own people. If you encounter such a situation in the future, feel free to take action. There will be no consequences for our sect to consider. As long as you don't die, the sect will send someone to cover for you."

Because it can erase memories, right...?

This ability is so convenient. If you cause trouble, you can simply erase the memories of everyone who knows about it. It's much better than destroying evidence, and you don't have to worry about worldly consequences at all.

No wonder Lin Yuexi and Yin Siyue are so unscrupulous; with such cleanup methods at their disposal, they can indeed do whatever they want.

However, to be fair, although this sect has terrible discipline, it is really protective of its own, which explains why it can still maintain its cohesion in a bullying atmosphere.

Lu Zheji turned his head slightly and gave a sincere smile to the girl beside him who was no taller than his shoulder: "Thank you for your teachings, Senior Sister Yue'er. If Senior Sister Yue'er is ever in danger, I will do my best to help you."

Lin Yuexi raised her clear eyes and glanced at him, a half-smile playing on her lips: "Then I'll wait and see."

The two walked hand in hand through the corridors and courtyards until they arrived at the Lin family's main residence.

It was still early, and the celebration banquet had not yet officially begun. Even Empress Lin Xiwei, the head of the family, had not yet arrived. In the main hall, only the young master Lin Zhengge sat in the main seat, casually chatting with several elders of the Lin family.

She was dressed very formally today, in a well-fitting smoky blue palace dress that perfectly outlined her already quite graceful figure. The dress was stretched taut across her chest, creating a full curve, while her waist and hips tightened sharply, revealing breathtaking curves as she sat.

The moment Lu Zheji saw her profile outside the hall, he had to admit one thing.

Although he lamented that Lin Zhenge had lost the little sister vibe she had when she was a child, he had to admit that Lin Zhenge was truly beautiful now.

She possesses a beauty that could topple kingdoms, and an innate allure.

In terms of appearance alone, she could even be vaguely compared to the otherworldly goddess in his Bronze Sparrow Terrace.

No wonder the Lin family's two daughters are renowned throughout the land, attracting countless talented young men to their court...

However, after reliving that overly romantic memory last night, Lu Zheji felt quite awkward looking at Lin Zhenge.

His gaze would involuntarily linger on the graceful figure encased in that magnificent palace dress, his mind subconsciously imagining the slender, jade-like body beneath the dress, wondering how alluringly it had grown since that fleeting glimpse three years ago…

What he didn't expect was that Lin Zhengge, who was sitting in the main seat, keenly caught his gaze.

Although Lin Zhengge kept her head turned to the side while talking to her elders, her peripheral vision had been fixed on Lu Zheji ever since he stepped across the threshold.

She was used to men's gazes and could naturally sense the meaning behind Lu Zheji's gaze at this moment, since his gaze lingered on her chest for significantly longer than elsewhere.

This idiot, staring at me like that so early in the morning, doesn't he know how to restrain himself? He's shameless.

I was originally planning to go easy on them, but it seems I'll have to hit them a few more times.

She lowered her eyes, picked up her teacup, took a sip, and subtly shifted her posture, slightly tilting the curve of her chest to the other side.

"Brother," Lin Yuexi suddenly spoke, interrupting Lu Zheji's thoughts, "Today is Sister Zhenge's graduation celebration banquet. Have you prepared a gift for her?"

Lu Zheji was taken aback.

How could a demon slayer disguised as a member of the Lin family possibly think of preparing a congratulatory gift?

However, he was not unrelated to Lin Zhengge. As childhood sweethearts who grew up together, forgetting to give a congratulatory gift was quite inappropriate.

His bewildered expression made Lin Zhengge pause slightly as she held her teacup, and she pursed her lips.

Lin Yuexi smiled and said, "It's alright, brother, I'm ready. We siblings will naturally deliver it together."

Lu Zheji breathed a sigh of relief: "Yue'er is still the most considerate."

As soon as he said it, he suddenly realized—

wrong!

Lin Yuexi had a falling out with Lin Zhengge yesterday, so given her personality, how could she possibly be so kind as to give a gift at a time like this?

Unfortunately, he couldn't stop her in time. Lin Yuexi had already taken out a book wrapped in colored paper from her storage ring, skipped over, and presented it to Lin Zhengge with both hands:

"Sister Zhenge, this is my favorite storybook. I'm giving it to you, and I hope you won't hold my impetuousness yesterday against me."

"Thank you, Sister Yuexi," Lin Zhengge said politely, accepting the gift casually.

Lin Yuexi persisted, "Sister, aren't you going to open it and take a look?"

Lin Zhengge looked up at her, a hint of suspicion flashing in her peach blossom eyes, but she still reached out and unwrapped the colored paper.

The moment the book cover was revealed, her gaze sharpened slightly.

The Lin family elders around her also curiously gathered around, their eyes sweeping over the book cover. Immediately, their expressions changed, and their gazes towards Lin Yuexi turned cold.

Lin Zhengge raised her head, her dignified face devoid of any smile, and said coldly to Lin Yuexi, "Come with me."

Lin Yuexi's lips curled into an undisguised mockery. Instead of feeling guilty, she "obediently" replied, "Yes, Sister Zhenge."

He then followed with light steps.

Lu Zheji's heart sank. Although he didn't know what the book was, he knew from the ugly expressions on the faces of the Lin family elders that it was definitely not a good thing.

He quickly bowed to the several Lin family elders with unfriendly expressions, disregarding any impoliteness, and hurried after them.

The three entered the study one after the other. Lin Zhengge turned around, her gaze passing over Lin Yuexi and landing directly on Lu Zheji, who had followed her in. She said coldly:

"Why did you follow me? What's your relationship with her?"

Before Lu Zheji could answer, Lin Yuexi giggled and took his arm, pressing her soft body against him affectionately, and teasingly said:

"Didn't I say last night that my brother is my most beloved brother?"

This younger sister is indeed the domineering, self-centered type who bullies the sect. Ever since she was provoked by Lin Zhenge last night, she no longer hides her wicked nature.

Lu Zheji hurriedly tried to pull his arm away from her embrace, but couldn't. He could only bite the bullet and say, "She is my superior in the Demon Slayer Division, and also my senior sister from the same sect."

"Fellow disciple?" Lin Zhengge's gaze was sharp as a knife, sweeping over the two figures pressed together. "So, which faction are you with now? Are you an enemy of the Lin family?"

Lu Zheji was taken aback: "What do you mean by that?"

Lin Zhengge snorted coldly and slammed the book heavily on the table: "Read it yourself."

Lin Yuexi seemed startled by her cold snort, hugging Lu Zheji's arm even tighter, looking up at him with a pitiful expression and feigned annoyance:

"Brother, look! Sister Zhenge is so fierce! I only gave her a book she liked, and she scolded me."

Lu Zheji sighed, reached for the book on the table, and saw the words "The Legend of the Alluring Demon Consort" printed neatly on the cover.

Strange, isn't this supposed to be a romance novel? Why would it cause such a stir in the Lin family?

As he casually flipped through the pages, he asked, "I really don't understand, what does this say?"

Lin Zhengge coldly said, "The author of this book, Yue Shenfei, compiled unofficial history that was rumored to be about fox demons bringing disaster to the country into a book. It is meant to attract attention and mislead people. Furthermore, it plagiarizes a large amount of Emperor Wu's works, 'Investiture of the Gods' and 'Farewell My Concubine.' It is a disgrace to the integrity of scholars and has been banned by the Northern Wei Dynasty."

Lu Zheji paused slightly as he turned the pages of the book.

In fact, Emperor Wu also plagiarized...

How many copies did I plagiarize in my past life to seduce a goddess?

He suppressed his guilt and continued flipping through the pages, quickly figuring out what was going on.

This isn't some romance novel at all; it's clearly just "Investiture of the Gods" in a different guise.

The story is roughly about a nine-tailed fox spirit who, in order to seize the throne of the Great Wei Dynasty, seduced Emperor Wu with her beauty, thereby wreaking havoc on the court and causing chaos throughout the land. In the end, righteous heroes joined forces to defeat and kill both the tyrannical emperor and his seductive concubine.

However, the part where the demon concubine and Emperor Wu both die at the end borrows the core of "Farewell My Concubine," with lines like "The emperor wept bitterly, his hair turned white overnight," which is written quite tragically and has a touch of romance.

Lu Zheji frowned and said, "Did Emperor Wu really have a nine-tailed fox concubine? How come I've never heard of her?"