Reinvigorated

In Little Yanzhi's eyes, the person who had helped the Dragon King most wasn't Shangguan Ru, but Luo Ningcha.

Without Luo Ningcha, King Yue Yao Tosai would have had no reason to ally with Little Yanzhi and the Dragon King. The two of them would have struggled to gain a foothold in the Dragon Court, let alone travel thousands of miles to the Western Regions to seek refuge with Prince Dudun.

Luo Ningcha had just seen Tosai off and was feeling rather pleased with herself. "See? Even you aren't always right. The best way to conquer a man isn't to sleep with him, but to keep him from getting what he wants. But I don't blame you. You're a man, and you didn't have much experience with this sort of thing back then. Maybe you even had some scheme of your own."

Luo Ningcha had undergone a small change of heart. She had turned her interpretation of that seduction from years ago on its head, convincing herself that Huan Nu, not she, had been the seducer. Huan Nu had taught her how to ensnare men for another purpose, and once she had achieved it, she had grown cold toward Luo Ningcha.

One reason Luo Ningcha had summoned the Dragon King was to make this clear.

Luo Ningcha sat behind a screen. From now on, any man who wanted to get past this barrier between her and the world would have to pay a hefty price—even the Dragon King.

Gu Shenwei was quite happy about that. He could even say he felt relieved. He didn't regret his first indulgence as a boy, but he wouldn't take pride in it, either. If he could do it over, he would find a proper way to refuse the young lady.

"Nothing gets past you."