When she heard that she held a place in Gu Yunxiao's heart as important as his "responsibility to the clan," she was happier than words could describe.
But she would never show it so easily.
Gu Yunxiao could forget about getting away with kissing her just like that.
"Gu Yunxiao, which matters more, me or your responsibility?" Gu Yuena stared at him, a glint of slyness flashing in her eyes.
"Both matter."
"You can only choose one."
"Na'er, then let me ask you: which matters more, me or your responsibility?" Gu Yunxiao countered.
"Of course it's..."
The words reached Gu Yuena's lips, only for her to swallow them back down.
Before, she would have chosen her responsibility without hesitation. But now, Gu Yunxiao also held a lofty place in her heart, one she could not bear to relinquish.
"Both matter."
Gu Yuena's gaze wandered, betraying a touch of guilt.
"Na'er, I really like that answer." Gu Yunxiao smiled faintly and did not press her any further.
Gu Yuena froze instead.
She had already braced herself for Gu Yunxiao to ask her "which matters more," yet he had not put her in a difficult position.
And she had just been making things difficult for him...
At that thought, a trace of guilt rose in Gu Yuena's heart.
"Na'er, the truth is, you and my responsibility to the clan are inseparably linked. Neither can exist without the other."
"Your responsibility is my responsibility, and that responsibility includes you, too."
"What I need to do is take responsibility for all of you."
Gu Yunxiao's voice was gentle as he patiently explained.
"...Mm."
Gu Yuena's voice was very, very soft. Had Gu Yunxiao not been so close, he would never have heard it.
"I won't hold this incident against you."
Gu Yuena's voice was cool, but then she changed tack, revealing a sly smile. "But just because you won't threaten me doesn't mean I won't threaten you."
"If you can't shoulder your responsibility to the Soul Beast Clan, don't even think about touching me again."
So Gu Yunxiao was lustful, was he?
Then she would use herself as the bargaining chip to force him to work hard!
"Hey, hey, hey, don't say things that undermine our unity."
Gu Yunxiao hastily interrupted and reminded her, "Na'er, we also have the great responsibility of passing on our bloodline. That's very important."
"No, it isn't important for now."
"No, it's very important."
"Hmph, I don't agree. What can you do about it?"
Gu Yuena snorted and looked at Gu Yunxiao teasingly.
"..." Gu Yunxiao's lips twitched, and he muttered under his breath, "I can't do anything to you, but I still have other women..."
"Gu Yunxiao, say that again if you dare!" Gu Yuena's delicate brows shot up. This time, she was even angrier than before.
"I said I'll find more women."
"I don't agree."
"I don't need your agreement. Mine is enough." Gu Yunxiao grinned.
"Fine, then go find them. I'll kill every woman you find." A vicious glint flashed in Gu Yuena's eyes, their cold edge fully revealed.
Even when Gu Yunxiao had kissed her earlier, she had not been this angry or wanted to kill someone this badly.
But Gu Yunxiao saying he would find more women... that had encroached on her territory.
"No, you won't be able to."
Gu Yunxiao shook his head, his expression serious. "If I really do find more women, I'll protect them just as I protect you."
"You!"
Gu Yuena seethed with anger.
She knew Gu Yunxiao was not joking.
"...Gu Yunxiao, don't even think about touching me from now on!" Gu Yuena turned her head away in fury and ignored him once more.
"From now on?"
Gu Yunxiao raised an eyebrow, then suddenly walked in front of Gu Yuena and gave her a wicked smile. "So that doesn't include today."
"You... mmph!"
Gu Yuena instinctively flared up, only for Gu Yunxiao to kiss her again.
With his earlier experience, Gu Yunxiao easily pushed his luck past her teeth this time, already prepared to have his tongue bitten again.
To his surprise, however, Gu Yuena did not bite him.
She even responded a little.
Even if I die beneath a peony blossom, I'll still be a romantic ghost.
Gu Yunxiao smiled inwardly and kissed Gu Yuena earnestly, one hand resting on her slender waist and the other cradling the back of her head.
With Gu Yunxiao guiding her, Gu Yuena followed her instincts as well.
Gradually, the two became more and more absorbed in their kiss.
At first, they both kept their eyes open, their violet gazes meeting as they kissed.
Later, carried away by their emotions, they closed their eyes in unspoken accord, their kisses growing more intimate and more practiced.
Gu Yuena instinctively raised her fair arms and wrapped them around Gu Yunxiao's neck.
In that underground space glittering with crystals, the two embraced and kissed intimately.
After a long while, their lips parted.
Gu Yuena looked quietly at Gu Yunxiao without saying a word, then turned and left, returning to her true Silver Dragon King form to begin healing her injuries.
"Hm?"
Just as Gu Yunxiao thought Gu Yuena was genuinely angry, a cool voice came from overhead. "Yunxiao, from now on, I want a liter of blood every day."
"...A liter every day? Are you trying to drain me dry?"
"What, you can't manage it? Feeling weak?"
"You underestimate me. Two liters every day!"
Gu Yunxiao could put up with other things, but when it came to questions of this sort, he absolutely could not tolerate them. He had to rise to the challenge.
It was only two liters of blood a day. For an ordinary person, that would mean certain death, but for him, it was well within his capacity.
The strength of the Heavenly Tribulation Demon Dragon bloodline was beyond question.
Those whose blood and vital energy flowed like mercury were already rare, while Gu Yunxiao's level surpassed even that of blood and vital energy surging like a dragon.
"You said it yourself. If you fall short, I'll beat you once for every milliliter you're missing." Gu Yuena's voice sounded calm, but beneath it lay a trace of delight.
"Heh, then you're going to be disappointed."
Gu Yunxiao chuckled, then returned to the crystal bed and sat cross-legged, meditating to cultivate and increase his Soul Power.
For more than a year afterward, this remained his routine.
By day, he honed himself in the Star Dou Great Forest; by night, he cultivated in the underground space. Besides supplying Gu Yuena with blood, he also sought her guidance on elemental cultivation.
Of course, this also slowly nurtured their feelings for one another without them realizing it.
Gu Yuena might have said he was not to touch her again, but Gu Yunxiao still managed to steal plenty of intimate moments.
And those "opportunities" had actually been arranged by Gu Yuena herself.
Otherwise, with Gu Yuena's strength, how could she possibly have let him succeed every time?
The two maintained their unspoken understanding, neither exposing it, and their feelings rapidly grew warmer.
Though they often bickered, matched wits, and even came to blows, none of it hindered their relationship. Instead, it brought them closer still.
Yet happy times were always fleeting.
Gu Yunxiao was both a Heavenly Tribulation Demon Dragon and a human. He could not remain completely cut off from the outside world.
A year later.
Beneath a sky full of stars, the Lake of Life sparkled with specks of starlight, a beautiful sight.
On the lakeshore, the evening breeze blew and a campfire burned.
"Sizzle, sizzle, sizzle..."
The meat sizzled and dripped fat as the flames roasted it, its fragrance wafting through the air.
The Three-Eyed Golden Lion lay beside Gu Yunxiao, her eyes dull and her spirits low.
Gu Yunxiao held a skewer of roasted meat to the Three-Eyed Golden Lion's mouth and smiled faintly. "Such delicious-smelling meat. You really won't try a bite?"
The Three-Eyed Golden Lion, who had always loved food, did not open her mouth. Instead, she stared straight at Gu Yunxiao, her eyes filled with reluctance to part.
Before you continue