A woman's three secret weapons

Meng Huai looked at the indignant Yun Zimo and felt a chill of apprehension, even more unsettled than he had been facing Ye Yao earlier. People said women only turned from cats into lions after marriage, but the woman before him seemed to have evolved ahead of schedule.

Tears suddenly filled Yun Zimo's eyes, and she burst into sobs. With tears streaming down her lovely face, she looked utterly pitiful.

Meng Huai was completely at a loss. He had no idea what to do and felt that even fighting Ye Yao to the death right now would be better than facing this tearful beauty.

As she cried, Yun Zimo said, "I've kept myself pure since I was little, determined to give myself to my husband without a stain on my virtue. In all these years of making my way in the world, so many people have tried to get their hands on me, and I've firmly rejected every one of them.

"I always imagined my husband would be an unrivaled hero. I never thought you'd turn out to be a scumbag who ruined everything I had and now wants to kick me aside."

Meng Huai hurriedly said, "That's absolutely not what I meant. I only suggested we separate because I truly had your best interests at heart. Being with me is far too dangerous."

Still sobbing, Yun Zimo said, "People say a husband and wife are birds in the same forest, each flying off alone when disaster strikes. But I don't believe that. I want my husband and me to support each other through hardship and spend the rest of our lives together.

"Whatever you think, I've chosen you. If you don't want me, I'll kill myself right in front of you. Then I'll become a ghost and follow you around, scaring you whenever I feel like it."

Without thinking, Meng Huai said, "I'm only a Gu Master, so catching ghosts isn't my specialty, but ordinary vengeful ghosts are nothing to me. You wouldn't be able to scare me."

The moment the words left his mouth, he knew he had messed up. How could he say something like that? He was only adding fuel to the fire. He wanted to slap himself a few times and seal that wretched mouth shut.

Yun Zimo cried even louder. "You're determined to abandon me! You won't even let me follow you as a ghost. Then I'll become a wandering spirit, drifting outside every day, exposed to the wind and sun, tormenting myself."

Completely speechless, Meng Huai pulled Yun Zimo into his arms and sealed her red lips with his own, using the most direct method to deal with her.

After they had spent some time entwined together, Yun Zimo nestled in Meng Huai's arms, tracing circles on his chest as she said, "Don't think you can abandon me. I wasn't just trying to scare you. In life, I'm yours. In death, I'll be your ghost."

Meng Huai said helplessly, "All right, you win. I never thought a successful career woman like you would resort to tactics like this."

Yun Zimo smiled smugly. "First cry, then make a scene, then threaten to hang yourself. Those have always been a woman's three secret weapons. A career woman is still a woman. Why shouldn't I use them?

"They're the best moves for dealing with macho men like you. They work every single time. These are tried-and-true treasures handed down by our ancestors. You can't go wrong with them."

Meng Huai held Yun Zimo tightly. When a girl was willing to go this far for him, what more was there to say? Whatever hardships or dangers lay ahead, they would face them hand in hand.

Yun Zimo was a very capable young woman, equally at home entertaining guests and working in the kitchen. She was an excellent cook.

As she ate, Yun Zimo asked, "What exactly happened to Fan Yuli? And when I was running away, I seemed to hit a wall."

Meng Huai drank a glass of liquor and said, "Ye Yao used a Doppelganger Gu on Fan Yuli. It's one of the ten evil gus, and it's incredibly vicious.

"Anyone infected with a Doppelganger Gu becomes the caster's double. As long as the caster lives, they can never be freed. Even if they're burned to ashes, they can be reborn.

"The worst part is that the victim's soul is trapped inside their body, like a spectator. They can only watch what their body does, powerless to stop it."

Yun Zimo listened in stunned disbelief. She had never imagined anything so terrifying existed. Unable to control her own body, able only to watch from the sidelines—the mere thought of that sensation filled her with fear.

And according to Meng Huai, as long as the person who planted the gu remained alive, there would never be any escape. Such endless terror was enough to drive anyone completely insane.

Seeing how frightened Yun Zimo was, Meng Huai took her hand and said, "Don't worry. A Doppelganger Gu isn't that easy to refine. Otherwise, people who could make them would have conquered the world long ago.

"And even if someone manages to refine one, the chances of successfully infecting a target are terrifyingly low. They'd be thanking their lucky stars for even a one-in-a-thousand success rate.

"So we were just unlucky. When he first took control of Fan Yuli, he wasn't planning to target us. He was simply looking for a double.

"He happened to succeed with her, and then all this happened afterward. We can only call it fate. There's nothing else to say."

Yun Zimo finally relaxed and forced herself to stop thinking about it. Then she asked curiously, "You mentioned the ten evil gus. What are the others? What should I do if I run into one?"

Meng Huai smiled. "The Doppelganger Gu is the easiest of them to refine. The others pretty much only exist in legends. I've never seen them, anyway, so there's no need to worry about them.

"You have Silver Little Snake with you, and that provides protection. Even if a gu insect enters your body, it'll just be an extra snack for the little snake. You don't need to worry."

Yun Zimo first murmured in acknowledgment, then bristled and said, "If the little snake protects me, why did you still want to leave me? So it really was all an excuse! You just wanted to abandon me."

Meng Huai slapped his forehead. How had she come back to that again? He hurriedly said, "I really was thinking of your safety. Just because you don't need to fear gu insects doesn't mean you're safe from everything else.

"Gu arts encompass all sorts of things. Using insects is merely the most common approach. There are many other sinister arts besides those. Silver Little Snake may be powerful, but that doesn't mean every one of them can be blocked.

"Besides, I already know I was wrong. I promise I won't do it again. If you don't believe me, I'll swear before the founder of my tradition that I'll love only you in this lifetime and never leave you. If I break my oath, may I..."

Yun Zimo hurriedly covered his mouth. "Why swear an oath? I'll believe you. But I trust the law more than oaths. Why don't we get our marriage registered?"

Meng Huai sprayed out a mouthful of liquor. This girl was far too direct. Still, given their current relationship, getting their marriage registered didn't seem inappropriate.

Seeing that Meng Huai had agreed, Yun Zimo smiled instead. "I was testing you, and I'm very satisfied with your answer. There's no rush for that yet. I still want to enjoy having you court me."

Yun Zimo had thoroughly worn Meng Huai out. He inwardly cursed and swore never to provoke this girl again. She simply never did what anyone expected. He really couldn't handle her!

Over the next few days, everything returned to normal. Yun Zimo stayed busy with the foundation's affairs and finally began making some headway.

Meng Huai accompanied Yun Zimo to the largest hotel in Dian City, where a charity reception was being held.