Zhu Zhuqing bit her lips until they turned pale, but she didn't hesitate much longer.
"Senior, I don't regret it. I'll take it off now."
Overwhelmed by shame, she squeezed her eyes shut. Only one thought circled endlessly through her mind:
He saved your life and gave you a new beginning. He's never had the slightest intention of harming you. What is there you can't trust him with?
That was right. Even her life had been given to her by him.
From the moment she'd stood on the brink of death in the Star Dou Great Forest, her life had been bound to his.
So what if she took off her clothes? Even if he really did want to do something shameful, what difference would it make?
Once she'd made up her mind, her movements grew faster.
Her plain white undergarment slipped from her shoulders and fell soundlessly at her feet.
Her skin was fair and delicate, a faint flush spreading over it from her nerves.
Like fine mutton-fat jade warmed by body heat, it gleamed with a soft luster.
Her exquisite collarbones curved into two shallow crescents, their ends meeting her rounded shoulders.
The lines of her shoulders and neck were smooth and taut, without a trace of excess.
What truly made it hard to look away was the fullness that seemed entirely at odds with her age.
Lush and lifted, like ripe peaches.
They rose and fell faintly with her tense breathing...
Below...
Her figure rose like a mountain from the earth, then narrowed sharply halfway down.
Lower still...
Her curves were round and lifted, as if hiding two soft, full moons.
Her thighs were firm and long. The muscle lines forged through years of cultivation showed faintly beneath her fair skin, brimming with strength.
Every inch of her skin was taut and resilient.
Every curve was smooth and full of tension.
She clearly had the body of a girl in her teens, yet already possessed the fullness and allure of a grown woman.
A faint flush spread over her tender white skin, creeping from her cheeks down her neck and chest...
A delicate pink bloom unfurled over that porcelain-white canvas, like peach blossoms falling onto snow in early spring.
The blush on her face had already burned all the way to her ears.
She stood rigid, eyes shut, waiting for the next instruction from the voice in her sea of consciousness.
"Why are you closing your eyes?"
Gu Chensha's voice rang out in her sea of consciousness, tinged with genuine confusion and even a hint of bewilderment.
Zhu Zhuqing's body instantly stiffened even more.
Why was she closing her eyes?
Wasn't it...
Did he want her to open them and watch herself do those things?
An even more intense wave of shame surged to the crown of her head.
She bit her lip, and a flicker of resistance rose in her heart before she could stop it.
Just as her heart pounded and she was on the verge of refusing, Gu Chensha suddenly let out two low chuckles, unable to hide the amusement in his voice.
"Did you misunderstand something?"
He drawled, "I told you to take off your clothes so you could see the changes in your body for yourself. I didn't tell you to close your eyes and let your imagination run wild."
"You offered up your body three days ago to reshape your meridians. There might be hidden dangers from Soul Power clashing, so naturally we need to examine everything carefully."
Zhu Zhuqing froze.
She snapped her eyes open, their gaze still veiled by the watery sheen brought on by shame and nerves.
She stood completely stiff, forgetting even to breathe.
"Misunderstood...?"
Her mind went blank.
"Then what did you think?"
Gu Chensha's laughter grew more pronounced.
"Don't forget, I'm a Demon Spider that's lived for five hundred years. I don't have any particular interest in human females."
That was what he said, but seeing the girl who was usually so aloof and proud, who rarely even smiled, standing before him in such flustered embarrassment...
His five-hundred-year-old heart was, for once, stirred by a desire to tease her.
Zhu Zhuqing's face turned so red it seemed ready to drip blood. She wished she could dig a hole and crawl into it.
Had she really been the only one letting her imagination run wild this whole time?
She'd even absurdly conjured up all sorts of scandalous scenarios.
So, in the eyes of this five-hundred-year-old Devil Emperor senior, the so-called "peerless beauty" must be a female spider with sharp pincers, a hard shell, and a body covered in spikes?
Just as humans weren't attracted to female monkeys?
His lack of interest in human women seemed...
Reasonable enough?
But something still felt very strange...
Then it hit her.
He was bound to her soul in the sea of consciousness. Hadn't he sensed every last one of those wild thoughts she'd just had?
And yet he'd held his tongue, watching her frighten and embarrass herself?
At the thought, she was both mortified and furious. Her cheeks were hot enough to fry an egg. She bit her lip and shouted at him in her sea of consciousness, cheeks puffed up in indignation.
"Senior, that was kind of mean!"
"How was I mean?"
Gu Chensha feigned confusion. "All I said from beginning to end was to take off your clothes. You're the one who took it the wrong way, and now you're blaming me?"
"You knew exactly what I was thinking!"
Zhu Zhuqing was even angrier. "You knew I'd misunderstood, but you didn't say anything. You just watched me make a fool of myself, didn't you?"
As she spoke, she instinctively bent down to pick up the undergarment at her feet and cover herself.
But the moment she moved, Gu Chensha's voice rang out again.
"Enough. You've already taken it all off, so don't cover yourself now."
"I've already seen what there is to see. Covering up won't do any good."
He made no attempt to deny his mischievous streak.
"Besides, you're not wrong. I am bad."
"If I weren't, so many Titled Douluo, Soul Douluo, and hundred-thousand-year Ferocious Beasts wouldn't be chasing me down."
"Enough chatter. There's a bathing room next door with a full-length mirror. Go in and take a look for yourself."
His tone shifted, turning more serious.
The offering had reshaped the bones, sinews, and blood throughout her body. The changes weren't limited to Soul Power. Only by touching and seeing for herself would she understand just how strong her body was now.
Zhu Zhuqing bit her lip, but in the end she picked up the undergarment from the floor and held it in front of her chest. Barefoot, she headed toward the bathing room.
With every step, she felt hotter all over. The marble floor beneath her feet was cool, yet it felt as if she were walking over fire.
Compared with standing still, moving about naked like this made her feel ten times more ashamed.
Once she entered the bathing room and stood in front of the enormous full-length mirror, she finally understood what Gu Chensha had meant by "changes."
Her reflection seemed to have grown a little taller.
Her already slender limbs had become even more streamlined.
Though her body looked lean, every inch of muscle concealed explosive strength.
She raised a hand to touch her waist. Through her thin skin, she could feel the clear, smooth lines of her abs—the taut definition she'd failed to achieve despite years of hard cultivation.
Her gaze moved lower, settling on her chest. She reached out and gave it an unconscious feel.
When she found it hadn't grown any bigger, she let out a relieved breath and muttered softly:
"Thank goodness... thank goodness this part didn't grow any more."
Before you continue