Not You-You Really Bit Me!

A burning pain flared across Chu Ning's lips.

Looking bewildered, Chu Ning reached up and touched his mouth.

There was blood on his fingers.

Chu Ning jerked his head up, stunned.

"Wait!"

"You weren't supposed to kiss me—you bit me! I'm bleeding!"

Ye Qinglian's voice trembled, and she couldn't bring herself to look him in the eye. Still, she forced herself to stand her ground.

"Th-this isn't exactly what you wanted? I gave it to you. What more do you want?"

Chu Ning laughed helplessly as he stopped the bleeding, looking at Ye Qinglian, who was mortified and furious in equal measure.

"Actually, that's not quite what I meant. You could be a little gentler. Otherwise, you'll bite my lips right off one day..."

But seeing how Ye Qinglian was now, there was probably no chance of giving her a perfect first experience. She was too fiery by nature; the harder he pushed, the more likely it was to backfire.

Still, she had kissed him, hadn't she?

Chu Ning wasn't sure it counted.

At the time, he'd just felt her bite his lip...

Come on, even if you really had no idea what you were doing, that didn't mean you had to bite!

Forget it.

He'd just have to teach her himself.

Even though he'd never kissed anyone either.

But you didn't have to eat pork to have seen a pig run.

Chu Ning narrowed his eyes and smiled.

"Qinglian, I'm off to take care of something. Remember to be gentler next time..."

With that, he turned and left.

Ye Qinglian's face flushed bright red, and there was no calming it down!

She hadn't thought he'd bleed either, but she'd been so nervous that she'd lost control of her strength!

She'd already told him that if he wanted it, he should do it himself!

But no, he'd insisted he didn't want anything, then made her do it!

So it served him right. It had nothing to do with her!

Back in her seat, Ye Qinglian was still annoyed.

She picked up the broken brush and threw it at the back of Chu Ning's head.

"What was that for?"

"I felt like it! Go read your memorials!"

And "next time," was it?

There wouldn't be a next time. Absolutely not!

The weather was beautiful, sunlight spilling across the land.

The entire imperial palace of the Great Gan Dynasty was decked out in festive decorations, already busy preparing for the Empress's Grand Wedding.

They didn't know why Chu Ning had been chosen as the Emperor Consort, but he was the Emperor Consort, and the Empress had personally chosen him.

All they had to do was make the arrangements.

Xiao Bing was so busy she didn't even have time to cultivate. She was in charge of all the palace affairs, rushing back and forth between the Inner Palace and the Ministry of Rites all day, her little face brimming with excitement.

After all, the Dragon Prince would be born in less than half a year. What was there not to be happy about?

Meanwhile, at the Ancestral Temple.

Fang Houren stood before the Ancestral Temple, pondering Chu Ning's identity and his behavior of late.

Who was this man, and how had he won Ye Qinglian's favor so completely?

Fang Houren had watched Ye Qinglian grow up. She had cultivated for a hundred years and reached the Void Breaking realm. She was now the strongest person in the dynasty by all appearances, second only to him.

Her cultivation was one thing.

Ye Qinglian was also resolute in character and devoted to strengthening the dynasty.

In her early years, officials at court had often urged her to choose an Emperor Consort and continue the imperial bloodline, but she'd always refused.

So why had Chu Ning suddenly become the Emperor Consort?

Chu Ning was an ordinary man who couldn't cultivate. He was only somewhat handsome, which wasn't a big deal. If the Empress liked him, then so be it—she could keep him in the Inner Palace and continue the imperial bloodline.

But now the Empress had given Chu Ning far too much authority!

She had even brought him with her to Mingde Hall, the heart of the Great Gan Dynasty!

It was unclear whether he was involved in handling government affairs, but the very fact that he was there already went completely against the laws of the imperial clan!

Fang Houren had a feeling this young man was more than he seemed, but now that he had to stay inside the Ancestral Temple, he couldn't investigate much.

But if this man dared to do anything to harm the Empress, he would certainly...

Suddenly,

Fang Houren looked up, as if he had sensed something.

Above the imperial palace, the celestial timing seemed to have been disturbed.

Someone was trying to divine the celestial timing—and they weren't from inside the palace?

The old man hesitated for a moment, then began calculating with his fingers.

But the disturbance vanished almost as quickly as it had appeared.

"Was that my imagination? I distinctly sensed something just now. No, I have to look into it..."

Although he didn't think much of Chu Ning, Ye Qinglian was the one getting married, after all.

Anything that might affect Ye Qinglian's wedding had to be prevented!

At that moment,

Inside Mingde Hall, Chu Ning narrowed his eyes slightly. He had just finished the last memorial and handed it to Ye Qinglian.

His wife had gone cold and was ignoring him again.

But what she'd just done really had been bold.

Chu Ning didn't say anything or disturb Ye Qinglian. He simply walked out of the hall to get some fresh air.

Looking across the plaza outside Mingde Hall, Chu Ning could tell the Dark Guards were exceptionally good at hiding themselves, but they couldn't escape his eyes.

Of course,

Neither could the rats in the sewers.

"You like divining the celestial timing, do you? Then let me give you something to calculate."

Chu Ning flicked a finger, making the already-disturbed celestial timing even more chaotic. Then he added a little something extra.

There sure were plenty of people keeping an eye on his wife.

He'd planned to get along with them as an ordinary person, only to find that outsiders had set their sights on him.

No one was going to stop their wedding, let alone try anything.

At the same time, several cultivators from the Great Zhou Dynasty had finished setting up outside the imperial palace.

Their leader was none other than the current Celestial Master of the Imperial Observatory!

He had once entered Lieyang Holy Land, one of the Three Great Holy Lands, but for some reason had been expelled. He had then gone to the Great Zhou Dynasty and become a retainer.

As a Mid Void Breaking cultivator, he was absolutely among the best across the Five Great Dynasties!

The man wore a purple Daoist robe that lent him an air of authority. Once he saw that his disciples had finished setting up, he immediately activated the formation.

Nine Stars Shining on the Sun. The formation used the midday sunlight to conceal itself as it probed everyone inside the imperial palace, seeking the source of the Dragon Qi.

"A mere Great Gan Dynasty, a dynasty where cultivation has fallen into decline, and yet it has such powerful Dragon Qi..."

"Once I find its source, I'll kill the person and transfer the Dragon Qi to the Great Zhou Dynasty!"

He sneered as he began activating the formation.

"An innocent man gets into trouble because of his treasures. You have only yourselves to blame for having such powerful Dragon Qi..."

Everything inside the imperial palace appeared in the old man's mind in an instant: every place, every person.

And at Mingde Hall, the heart of the palace, the Dragon Qi was strongest—overwhelmingly so!

"It's here!"

He was overjoyed. He hadn't expected things to go so smoothly. He immediately sent his divine sense inside to search for the source of the Dragon Qi.

But the moment his divine sense entered, he didn't see the place's interior or anyone inside.

Instead, an entirely new world suddenly appeared before him.

This world was boundless, while he was no bigger than a speck of dust.

Just as the old man was wondering what was happening, he seemed to sense something behind him.

He spun around. His face went deathly pale, and he began to tremble uncontrollably!

Before him loomed a colossal figure, so vast he couldn't see where it ended!

No! He'd been lured into a trap!

A palm suddenly came crashing down!

At the same time, outside the imperial palace, the Imperial Observatory cultivators maintaining the formation had their divine senses torn apart. They spat blood and died on the spot!

As for the purple-robed old man, the most powerful of them, he let out a wail. His mind went completely blank, and he collapsed where he stood.

Before the other cultivators beside him could even react, space suddenly ripped open.

Fang Houren narrowed his eyes as he looked at the cultivators in front of him, a puzzled look crossing his face.

"I haven't even made a move. How did you all end up on the ground?"

But the old man was still thrilled!

"The sewer rats have finally shown themselves? Then I won't hold back!"

A curved saber suddenly appeared in his hand.

The Imperial Observatory's only Void Breaking Celestial Master had already been annihilated, and the other cultivators couldn't escape the long saber in Fang Houren's hand!

They could only wail as they died one after another...

After dealing with them, the old man was deeply puzzled.

"There was a Void Breaking cultivator among them. How could he have been completely powerless to resist? That doesn't make sense..."

"This is strange. I'd better report it to the Empress first."