"Oh, come now, little Sister Miao, why the ceremony? We're all sisters here. You eating it is giving face to this fellow. Go on, eat up, eat up..." Dugu Xiaoyi quickly urged her on. The girl had already managed to gulp down her own portion in one go...

"It's hardly some rare treasure, just a small slice of the Lotus Dewdrop. What's the big deal about accepting it?" Jun Mo Xie looked at Miao Xiaomiao, his voice gentle. "Everyone else has taken theirs, so you should consume it quickly too. Otherwise, if too much time passes, this Exquisite Lotus will melt away into the air—that would truly be a terrible waste of nature's bounty..."

Miao Xiaomiao’s heart jolted. When she looked again at the Exquisite Lotus, she indeed noticed the outer edges of the root already showing faint signs of liquefaction...

A conflict flared up in her mind: If I insist on refusing, given his status, his words are like the wind; he certainly won't take it back. If this thing melts away just like that, it’s not only a pity, but I will still owe him this favor regardless...

Thinking this, she couldn't help but sigh, thinking how truly domineering this man was, granting gifts in a way that allowed for no refusal... With no other choice, she finally took the slice of jade-like root and gently placed it in her mouth. Immediately, she felt an icy current drill down her throat, instantly bringing a blissful sensation to every limb and cell. Within her meridians, a vast, profound, and continuous power began to flow slowly... Then, everyone present felt as if their meridians had been invisibly widened, and the flexibility of those channels had increased several times over after the passage of that icy current...

Subsequently, that influx of powerful energy entered the Dantian and settled into stillness.

But everyone understood that this energy wouldn't simply vanish; it would silently fortify the body. If not for the activation of the Seven-Colored Sacred Fruit, this medicinal effect would continue indefinitely, nourishing the body. However, if they obtained the activating essence provided by the Seven-Colored Sacred Fruit, this power would instantaneously transform into pure cultivation energy accumulated over a thousand years!

Enough to propel their cultivation forward by a massive leap!

A short while later, Mei Xueyan also returned.

"This time, everyone is simply consuming the Exquisite Lotus. But for the medicinal power gained from this Lotus, I advise that after you return, do not use the Seven-Colored Sacred Fruit to release it all at once. Instead, let it circulate within your body naturally, gradually altering your constitution and nurturing your system through a subtle process... It should take about a year for this power to truly integrate with your body. At that time, consuming the Exquisite Lotus and the Seven-Colored Sacred Fruit again will not interfere with this current efficacy! This will allow this benefit to transform into something that yields gradual rewards for a lifetime..." Jun Mo Xie stated solemnly.

The women all nodded in agreement.

At this point, Miao Xiaomiao recalled Dugu Xiaoyi’s words: "We're all sisters here, you eating it is giving face to this fellow..." Sisters?

Where did that phrase come from?

Could it be... Jun Mo Xie harbored designs on her?

This was a phrase meant to pierce the heart! Thinking of this, Miao Xiaomiao was inexplicably startled, and an intensely strong sense of revulsion rose within her! If she had thought of this earlier, she would rather have let that slice of Exquisite Jade Root rot than ever accept it...

"The Mansion Lord Jun has generously gifted this spiritual medicine; Xiaomiao is immensely grateful. If the opportunity arises, I will certainly bring my husband to specifically thank Mansion Lord Jun..." Miao Xiaomiao said to Jun Mo Xie, her expression unchanged, bowing deeply.

The true meaning behind these words was clearly not just gratitude; it was an assertion: I already have a husband. If you have any intentions, you should dismiss them immediately.

"Oh? Has Sister Miao already found someone? Already married..." Mei Xueyan looked at Miao Xiaomiao with a strange expression. On Guan Qinghan’s face, an utterly bizarre look appeared—as if she wanted to laugh but held it back...

Hearing this question, Miao Xiaomiao thought of her Mo Junye, and a deep happiness bloomed on her face. "Yes, my husband treats me wonderfully. He is the person in this world who cares for and loves me the most..."

"Uh... Sister Miao, what does your husband look like..." Dugu Xiaoyi was particularly curious about Jun Mo Xie’s appearance when he was at Phantom Mansion, leaning in to gossip.

Miao Xiaomiao felt deeply frustrated. This girl looked significantly younger than her, probably by at least two or three years, yet she had the audacity to call her 'sister'... How did that address even arise?

"My husband’s surname is Mo, hehe..." Miao Xiaomiao smiled, closing her eyes slightly, as if Mo Junye were standing right before her, smiling at her...

"His build is quite similar to Mansion Lord Jun’s, but his looks are far inferior to the Mansion Lord’s; one might call him quite ordinary. His complexion is slightly dark; truly not outstanding..." Miao Xiaomiao described slowly with a smile, yet her face carried an intense sense of contentment.

The others in the room—Dugu Xiaoyi and the rest—thought to themselves: So this fellow deliberately made himself look unattractive back then... To snag a flower of Phantom Mansion while looking so plain, that is truly remarkable...

"Although my Mo Lang's appearance isn't dazzling, he is a good man, even better in character! He is entirely devoted to me too..." Miao Xiaomiao murmured happily. "He is extremely talented; I barely know anything in this world he cannot do... He is so gentle, and so attentive..." As she spoke, Miao Xiaomiao sensed the atmosphere around her shifting strangely again. She opened her eyes and saw the Lord of Evil rubbing his nose with his head bowed, his expression appearing somewhat strained...

And on the faces of the women around her, there was a thick wave of... jealousy...?

Hmph, it's useless for you to be jealous. Junye belongs to me! Thinking this, Miao Xiaomiao felt an even greater sense of pride swell within her.

"Great Lord Jun is exceptionally talented; he has written poems for me many times... composed lyrics for me, and even music for me..." Miao Xiaomiao's words were now bordering on outright showing off...

"What? Wrote poems for you? Lyrics? And composed music for you?" The women all demanded in unison, sounding intensely envious. The scent of jealousy in the room grew stronger and thicker!

"Yes..." Miao Xiaomiao’s pride intensified, deeply satisfied. "When my husband and I pledged ourselves, it was precisely when I was undergoing the Venerable Heavenly Tribulation. I could barely hold on then, but my husband stayed with me, disregarding life and death. Then he recited a poem to propose marriage to me. I still remember it. Ah, I speak foolishly; the words of our heart-bond, how could I ever forget them in this lifetime..."

"Heart-bond words? A poem? What poem..." Firelight flared in the eyes of the women.

Hmph, this fellow accompanied us through our tribulations before, too. Why didn't he recite poems then? Why didn't he show off his talent then? Hmph! More than a dozen sharp glares were immediately shot towards Jun Mo Xie.

Young Master Jun felt a chill creep down his spine, looking at Miao Xiaomiao: My dear elder sister, please stop talking! If you keep this up, I'll be drowned in vinegar by these women!

But Miao Xiaomiao wouldn't stop. She was speaking this to dispel his notions, so how could she cease? What if this fellow dared to brazenly propose marriage? Given his status as an Earth Immortal... it truly would be a massive headache. Perhaps Phantom Mansion would agree...

"At that time, during the Heavenly Tribulation, I truly felt I couldn't hold on anymore. Thunder and lightning flashed from the heavens, the earth shook violently, rain poured down like a waterfall, fierce winds howled, and clouds and mist billowed, blotting out the sky... But despite that weather and that crisis, I felt nothing at all, only happiness, genuine happiness..."

Miao Xiaomiao was clearly lost in the memory of that day: "At that moment, I thought that even if I died right then, it would have been worth it... For a woman, to have the person she loves most by her side, sharing life and death, during a moment of ultimate crisis, and to secure the happiness of her entire life, deciding her ultimate destination at that very time..."

If it were us... we would feel it was worth dying for too!

The women became even more jealous, looking at Jun Mo Xie as if they could devour him whole.

Young Master Jun coughed dryly, a layer of cold sweat beading on his forehead... I’m finished, truly finished this time...

Seeing the resentful gazes fixed on him filling the room, Young Master Jun trembled inwardly... My dearest Xiaomiao, you have just sealed your husband's doom...

"Unexpectedly, the Tribulation succeeded, and we both survived. So... from that moment on, I vowed to stay with my husband through life and death, never to be separated, for my entire existence!"

Miao Xiaomiao's voice was like a solemn oath...

"Uh, may I be bold enough to ask, what is your husband's cultivation level..." Dugu Xiaoyi’s eyes darted around, clearly plotting some scheme.

"Him? His cultivation level isn't high right now, only Golden Profound..." Miao Xiaomiao said, then suddenly grew proud. "But that’s because he hadn't met a famous master before, and he started cultivating formally quite late. However, my husband possesses the extremely rare Ethereal Body Constitution! Once he starts, his progress will be unstoppable! Hmph hmph, the former Number One Young Master of the Nine Hells had this Ethereal Body Constitution. In the entire Profound Profound Continent, only two people with the Ethereal Body Constitution have appeared in ten thousand years—my husband and the Number One Young Master of the Nine Hells! Our Phantom Mansion has determined that Junye will be the next Number One Young Master of the Nine Hells, and the only one in the past ten thousand years with the potential to surpass him!"

Fearing that others wouldn't grasp the value of the Ethereal Body Constitution, Miao Xiaomiao deliberately added this explanation.

"Hmph, the legendary Ethereal Body Constitution..." Dugu Xiaoyi glared fiercely at Jun Mo Xie.