Thinking of this, Miao Xiaomiao felt even more powerless. She simply closed her eyes tightly, completely unaware that she was already panting heavily...

"Hmph, your breathing is unsteady... why is your face so red... these are all signs of choking on water... Hmph, it seems serious, doesn't it..."

Jun Moxie continued his ravaging while spouting nonsense, weaving strange and twisted logic, as this artificial respiration seemed unending...

Miao Xiaomiao felt utterly dizzy, her limbs growing weaker by the second...

Miao Xiaomiao could never have dreamed that she, the little princess of the Illusionary Mansion, a Second Level Venerable, the most beautiful woman in the Illusionary Mansion, whom she had endlessly imagined saving her, would end up in the water like this...

But by then, she had lost all consciousness...

The water surface rippled...

For a long, long time...

Finally, it calmed...

"You brute..."

A soft moan, trailing off with a sultry sigh...

"...Ah, ya..."

A certain someone exclaimed in surprise: "Miss Miao, you're actually alright! You scared me half to death... Alas, saving you exhausted me..."

"You saved me? It seems I truly owe you a huge debt of gratitude," the beauty's face flushed crimson as her fingers dug fiercely into the soft flesh at his waist, twisting sharply...

"Ouch~" A piercing howl erupted...

This, after all, was the universal secret technique of all women—self-taught, guaranteed to hit its mark, prompting an immediate wail—truly devastatingly sharp!

"You scoundrel! We’ve already… like this… and you still call me Miss Miao..."

"En? If not Miss Miao, then what should I call you?"

"I... Mother and Father call me... Miao Miao..."

"Miao Miao... Miao Miao... Gulp... Gulping gasp..."

The person smacked his lips: "That name is truly sweet..."

"Ah! You, you... what are you doing? No, no... I can't anymore..."

"Little beauty... for such a lovely name, we absolutely must celebrate... Come, let this young master dote on you a few more times..."

"Stop... No... I... Mmmph..."

"Giggle, giggle... Little beauty, even if you screamed your lungs out now, it would be useless." When the two finally emerged from that small valley, the sun was barely showing half its face on the western mountains...

An entire afternoon had passed...

Miao Xiaomiao leaned against Jun Moxie, her face flushed, her eyebrows and eyes shrouded in an indescribable seductive glow, brimming with the languid allure of a young married woman—truly captivating...

She still felt utterly weak; the aftershocks of that torrential storm of sensation continued to reverberate through her body, the afterglow lingering. Recalling everything that had transpired this afternoon, Miao Xiaomiao felt utterly ashamed...

When did she become... so wanton...

Just thinking of those explosive scenes made Miao Xiaomiao unbearably modest...

It was all this fellow's fault. Miao Xiaomiao glared angrily at the person beside her—he wasn't just worse than a beast; he was an outright wild animal, even more savage than a beast!

His ceaseless demands still left Miao Xiaomiao trembling...

Young Master Jun, supremely satisfied, draped an arm around the beauty, his face bearing the smug expression of a cat who had just successfully stolen cream...

It was truly blissful. Strictly counting, this was only the second time in this life; the first time was due to an aphrodisiac, and he remembered nothing of it...

This time, he had truly displayed his virility...

Young Master Jun glanced at the beauty beside him, feeling quite the taste for more. Gazing at that delicate body beneath the coverings, Young Master Jun almost wanted to drag her back right then to savor the pleasure a few more times...

But that was impossible now. Checking the time, they had been delayed for quite a while; the people from the Illusionary Mansion must be frantic by now... It was best to return quickly and calm everyone first!

When the two appeared at the gates of the Miao residence, the guards nearly popped their eyeballs out...

The reason was simple: the shock was too profound. Although the news of their deaths hadn't been announced, nor had the massive search parties been called off, everyone knew these two were finished, dead in a manner so complete that not even ashes remained...

Yet, here they stood, alive and breathing...

The usually bustling main hall fell into a deathly silence. A group of elders hung their heads in dejection; they hadn't eaten since noon, and who could have the appetite now?

As for the chief culprit of this incident, Young Master Qiu Peng, he was personally beaten by Saint Emperor Bai Qifeng!

Saint Emperor Bai disregarded status or standing; his massive fists rained down like a tempest, merciless and brutal...

No one dared intervene...

In the blink of an eye, Qiu Peng was beaten into a pulp and carried back half-dead... Though Qiu Chengyun felt immense displeasure, he dared not voice it at this crucial juncture. Not only did he fail to stop it, but he had to clap his hands in approval, making any unknowing observer think the old man held an irreconcilable grudge against that pig-headed youth...

Old Master Qiu had no choice. Many of the other elders were practically itching for a fight, ready to ignite the flames of war at the slightest provocation, especially the Saint Venerables Miao Dao and Miao Jian. Their fierce gazes were fixed on the fawning face of the Qiu family head, looking as if they would immediately leap up to beat him golden if he dared to stammer a single inappropriate word, perhaps even marching straight to the Qiu residence to wreak havoc...

While most elders mourned the loss of the genius Mo, a pillar of the Illusionary Mansion's future, Miao Dao and Miao Jian grieved for Miao Xiaomiao most deeply. These two elders doted on her excessively, even more so than Miao Jingyun. To suffer such a tragedy and not instantly kill someone was already a great display of restraint on their part...

As evening approached, the Miao steward nervously stepped forward to ask if dinner should be served, only to be viciously cursed out by Miao Dao and driven away!

"Eat, eat, eat! Eat your dead head! All you know is eating, damn bird!"

Those were the exact words of the Saint Venerable elder...

The atmosphere in the dead-silent hall grew increasingly heavy. As long as Miao Jingyun remained silent, no one dared to make a move...

Just then, a commotion erupted at the entrance...

Then, a figure gracefully strolled in...

Everyone, already in a foul mood, glared toward the sound with annoyance...

Then, one by one, their eyes widened in disbelief. What was happening? Had they truly seen a ghost?...

At this moment, Miao Jingyun, the master of the Mansion, had lost all composure; his eyes wide, his mouth agape, letting out soft "Hoh, hoh" sounds as he watched the person approaching. He was nearly faint with shock and joy...

The person walking in was clean-clothed, beaming with spring sunshine, radiating an inexpressible joy. Who else could it be but Mo Junye, the great genius Mo!

With a sudden surge! Cao Guofeng shot to his feet!

"You... You're not dead? Where is Little Miao?"

Miao Huanyu rushed over, a man whose entire life had been characterized by placid elegance, seemingly never moving as quickly as he did now...

"Little Miao soiled her clothes during the Heavenly Tribulation, so she went back to change. She’ll be here shortly..."

Jun Moxie rubbed his nose, looking at Miao Huanyu—who was essentially his future father-in-law—feeling distinctly awkward... Just moments ago, he had consumed the man's daughter, and not just once, but several times... Having eaten her, and then eaten her again... and then eaten her some more... Now that everything was done and dusted, facing the father-in-law was bound to make him uncomfortable!

"E-ehem... Good, good, good! As long as you're alright!"

Miao Huanyu laughed heartily in excitement. His daughter was safe! This usually elegant and composed middle-aged man suddenly felt full of vitality: "Quick! Hurry and notify Madam! Little Miao is safely back! She's fine! Absolutely fine!"

It turned out Madam Miao had collapsed under the shock of the news...

Before the words even finished, Miao Xiaomiao, veiled in white robes, walked in slowly...

It seemed she couldn't help but walk slowly; Miao Xiaomiao was quite unwell, and everyone knew why...

"Miao Miao..."

Over ten voices cried out simultaneously, filled with intense emotion.

Young Master Jun rolled his eyelids... That synchronized shout of 'Miao Miao' suddenly made him feel like he had stumbled into a den of cats...

Everyone present burst into relief, surrounding her with a flurry of anxious questions.

Regarding the Heavenly Tribulation, Miao Xiaomiao had been groggy and had no clear idea what happened. Moreover, even if she had seen it, she couldn't explain the mystery... She could only vaguely try to explain things to the crowd with a confused head...

As for Young Master Jun, he was a master of playing ignorant. With wide, blank eyes, looking utterly dense, what could one expect from a 'Gold Profound' shrimp answering such profound questions?...

As for why they were so late, the elders didn't even ask. Why would they? Every one of them was a cunning old fox, their gazes sharp as blades!

The moment Miao Xiaomiao walked in, they noticed something was amiss; everything became clear...

No need to ask. Given Young Genius Mo's infatuation, how could Miss Miao not be moved? The two of them must have found a place after crossing the tribulation to clean themselves up and... spend time together...

The matter seemed too obvious; who couldn't guess?

If anyone at this point dared to mimic that pig-headed man by asking an ill-timed question, they would surely face collective retribution...

As for the tribulation itself, the elders all had an 'implicit understanding': there must have been another powerful figure coincidentally undergoing their own tribulation nearby. Miao Xiaomiao was merely caught in the aftershock, but the other party's tribulation had ended just as hers was concluding, allowing her to pass through unharmed...

As for such profound deductions, the two youngsters at the center of it all naturally had no idea...

The elders' minds automatically settled on this most logical explanation. In fact, only such an explanation could reasonably account for everything happening before them.

Otherwise, for two teenagers barely seventeen or eighteen to trigger such a fierce Heavenly Tribulation? Even a ghost wouldn't believe it!

This problem, which had given Jun Moxie a terrible headache, passed without incident, thanks to the 'common sense' assumptions of these 'clever' people... (To be continued, for the next installment, please visit...)