Betrothal Gift

Red candles flickered, draping everything in the Bridal Chamber in a warm, hazy glow.

Large red double-happiness characters, brocade bedding, and the faint scent of wine still lingering in the air.

The ceremonial wine had already been drunk.

Two glazed wine cups had been casually set on the table.

Cao Ying set down her cup.

Her eyes, usually bright and captivating, appeared even more lustrous beneath the candlelight as they locked directly onto Shen Wen.

The slight pretense she wore in the presence of outsiders was gone, replaced by her characteristic sharpness and urgency.

"The ceremony is over, Shen Wen. You can tell me about the Green Lotus Core Flame now, can't you?"

Her voice remained crisp.

Yet within this quiet bridal chamber, it seemed to carry less of her usual edge and more of an indescribable tension.

Shen Wen looked at her. Though she was in the bridal chamber on their wedding night, her mind was still entirely occupied by a Heavenly Flame.

She looked as though she were discussing a business deal, and he could not help but smile inwardly.

He did not answer at once. Instead, he leaned back leisurely, bracing his hands against the edge of the bed covered in soft brocade.

The movement made his red groom's robe cling more closely to his tall, upright frame.

He looked up at her, candlelight dancing in his deep eyes.

"Master Cao Ying—oh, no, I should call you Madam now..." His voice was low, carrying a hint of teasing.

"The spring night is fleeting. We've only just entered the room, yet all you can think about is that Core Flame. Aren't you being rather unromantic? Hmm?"

That slightly rising final sound was like a feather.

It lightly brushed against Cao Ying's heart.

Her pretty face warmed slightly, and her willow eyebrows furrowed. Embarrassment and annoyance flashed through her beautiful eyes. "Shen Wen! Stop talking nonsense! Are you trying to violate the Soul Contract?"

Seeing that she was about to flare up.

Shen Wen stopped while he was ahead. He quickly sat upright and raised both hands in surrender, the smile on his face unchanged. "All right, all right, I'm not joking anymore."

"I, Shen Wen, keep my word. I will never forget anything I promised you."

His tone shifted, and his gaze became focused and serious as he stared at Cao Ying. "However, before telling you where the Heavenly Flame is, as your Husband,"

"I should first offer my own Betrothal Gift, so as to fulfill proper etiquette. Isn't that right?"

Cao Ying froze and instinctively replied, "A Betrothal Gift? Didn't Grandpa Lin already..."

That betrothal gift had been so lavish that even the Cao Family Old Ancestor had been moved. It was enough to show how much Old Monster Lin and the Pill Pagoda valued this marriage.

Why was there another betrothal gift?

Cao Ying was somewhat puzzled.

Shen Wen shook his head, his expression unusually serious. "That was given by Master. It was the dignity the Pill Pagoda's Great Elder offered to his disciple's wife.

"But I, Shen Wen, am taking a wife. Naturally, I must also offer my own sincerity."

As he spoke.

With a thought, the betrothal gift stored within the Wife System's space could be taken out whenever he wished.

A Jade Slip gleaming with crimson light appeared out of thin air in his palm.

The Jade Slip was clearly no ordinary object, its entire surface warm and smooth.

It was as though liquid flames flowed slowly within it, emanating an ancient and noble Emperor's aura that caused the surrounding air to distort faintly.

He did not hand it over directly. Instead, he held it in his palm and presented it before Cao Ying.

"What is this?"

Shen Wen explained, "It is called the Red Emperor Fire Sovereign Qi."

"Its essence lies in commanding and ruling over Myriad Flames.

"Since you have resolved to take the Green Lotus Core Flame, this technique will not only greatly increase your chances of success, but also keep you safe from the backlash of a Heavenly Flame."

Seeing the doubt flickering in Cao Ying's eyes, he leaned slightly forward.

Closing the distance between them, he lowered his voice. "I had you agree to this marriage.

"Though I had selfish motives, I also do not wish to see you hurt because of it.

"Master this technique to the beginner level.

"Then I'll tell you where the Heavenly Flame is. Only then can I feel at ease letting you go.

"All right?"

He spoke the last two words softly and gently, his warm breath brushing faintly against Cao Ying's ear.

Cao Ying felt the roots of her ears grow hot, and her heart inexplicably skipped a beat.

Avoiding Shen Wen's overly intent gaze, she hesitated before finally extending her hand.

Her fingertips inevitably touched Shen Wen's palm, and the warmth of that brief contact.

Made them both pause slightly.

Cao Ying swiftly took the Jade Slip, as though it were burning her hand.

She had initially planned to inspect it only briefly. With her knowledge, Earth Tier techniques were already considered supreme.

However.

The instant her Soul Power cautiously entered the Jade Slip, vast information as boundless as a sea of stars and as profound as the heavens flooded into her senses.

The pathways of circulation outlined within it.

That aura of ruling all beneath heaven and burning all things far surpassed any Earth Tier technique she knew. It might even be above the Heaven Tier!

"This... How is this possible..."

Cao Ying abruptly raised her head, her beautiful eyes wide and her red lips slightly parted. Her face was filled with unprecedented shock and disbelief.

Her earlier suspicion and wariness.

Collapsed instantly before this profound technique that could not possibly be faked.

The hand clutching the Jade Slip even trembled slightly with excitement.

Shen Wen took in all of her shock, the smile on his lips deepening with a trace of satisfaction.

He said nothing more, merely quietly admiring this rare sight before him.

Cao Ying, who had always been calm and confident, even carrying a hint of a Demoness's wicked charm.

Now wore such a dazed and stunned expression.

Under the flickering candlelight, her peerlessly beautiful face appeared especially vivid and alluring.

The cool fragrance of pills, the warm scent of red candles, and the faint fragrance drifting from her body mingled together, creating an intimate atmosphere that made one's heart race.

Cao Ying looked at the Jade Slip in her hand, then lifted her gaze to Shen Wen, who was so close and watching her with smiling eyes.

For a moment, she forgot how to speak, only feeling the heat in her cheeks grow stronger and stronger.

"This is too..."

Cao Ying wanted to say it was too precious, yet she could not bring herself to put it down. She began convincing herself.

This is the Betrothal Gift Shen Wen gave me. I'm his wife, so it's perfectly normal for me to accept it.

Cao Ying was still immersed in the shock brought by the "Red Emperor Fire Sovereign Qi," her fingertips rubbing over the warm Jade Slip as her emotions churned.

The value of this technique simply could not be measured by worldly possessions. Shen Wen had given it to her so easily?

She raised her eyes, wanting to find some trace of teasing or calculation on Shen Wen's face, but she met only his smiling gaze.

Candlelight swayed in his eyes, so deep that it seemed capable of drawing one in.

At that moment, Shen Wen moved again.

With a flick of his wrist, a Dark Red Small Cauldron about a foot tall appeared out of thin air and landed lightly on the table between them.

The small cauldron had an ancient, simple design. Its body did not seem to have been carved.

Instead, countless profound flame patterns seemed to have grown naturally across it. Beneath the candlelight, those patterns.

Looked as though magma were slowly flowing through them, emitting a restrained yet heart-palpitating scorching ripple.

A faint red glow swirled around the mouth of the cauldron, and even the surrounding air distorted slightly because of it.