"Not a divine-sense transmission? Then... then..." Duanmu Yu did not speak aloud, but even her thoughts were stumbling, and for a moment she could not work out the exact situation.

"Because I'm on you, that's all. Needs must—forgive me, forgive me." Wei Zhao apologized with a bitter smile. This was the only way he had at present to escape the other's perception. So far the other party surely did not know that he was a primal spirit, and so for the moment could not imagine that he might take refuge within Duanmu Yu. In other words, Duanmu Yu's body was the finest hiding place there was.

"On me?" Duanmu Yu was all the more shocked. It was fortunate that the handsome man's attention was wholly bent on searching for Wei Zhao; otherwise he would certainly have noticed something amiss with her.

"That's right, squatting right there beside your primal spirit. But rest assured, it won't do you the slightest harm." Wei Zhao hastened to promise. To have another's primal spirit enter one's body was a deadly serious matter; a careless misstep could turn into a savage slaughter between primal spirits, or even a seizure of the body. And he and Duanmu Yu were hardly well acquainted—their mutual trust was nowhere near enough. To barge in like this without so much as a by-your-leave—whatever reaction Duanmu Yu had, it would only be human nature.

Unexpectedly, Duanmu Yu's reaction was far calmer than Wei Zhao had imagined. Only her question was rather strange: "So this way you can directly know what I'm thinking?"

"More or less, some of it." Wei Zhao could not help but be taken aback. Was Duanmu Yu not in the least afraid that he might seize her body? Tales of primal spirits seizing bodies and the like ought to be common enough in the world of cultivation, surely?

"Then don't I have no secrets at all before you?" Duanmu Yu was suddenly anxious.

"Huh?" Wei Zhao was speechless. A woman is a woman after all—her thoughts could never be fathomed, and even one of Duanmu Yu's manly temperament was no exception. At a time like this, what worried her most was **that** question?

After a moment's blankness, Wei Zhao could only explain with a bitter smile: "Rest easy, I cannot pry into your heart. At most I can read the unconscious fluctuations of your primal spirit. There's no need to worry about **that** question."

"That's good, then." Duanmu Yu visibly breathed a sigh of relief.

While Wei Zhao was thus soothing Duanmu Yu, the handsome man on the other side had gone stiff. He swept the surroundings with his divine sense again and again, yet could not find the faintest suspicious trace. Even that sudden discordant feeling from before had vanished without a trace.

"Could it really be that I was overthinking?" the handsome man muttered. His gaze then returned to Duanmu Yu, and he smiled. "Don't let some gutless coward spoil your mood. Come, let us begin."

"Oh. All right." Duanmu Yu answered. This time, because Wei Zhao was hidden on her person, she felt far more secure than before.

Unfortunately, his next words scared her stiff: "Take off your clothes."

"Take off my clothes?" Duanmu Yu froze at once. She did indeed have a manly temperament, and even amid a crowd of men she would not shrink back or feel the least discomfort—but she was a woman after all, and taking off her clothes was a thing that required no small resolve.

"How can we cultivate as a pair without taking off our clothes? Besides, we are husband and wife who have properly worshipped Heaven and Earth. Now is precisely the hour of the bridal chamber." The handsome man regarded her with keen interest.

"I..." Duanmu Yu had no rebuttal. Seeing that the gaze fixed straight upon her held a measure of chill, she understood at once that after these two disturbances, what little patience the other had was near its limit.

Duanmu Yu was, in the end, far bolder than most women. Gritting her teeth, she promptly stripped off the bright red outer robe, revealing a plain white inner garment.

"Again," the handsome man urged, his face expressionless.

Duanmu Yu frowned. In her inner garment she could just barely still be seen; but once that came off, only her undergarments would remain, and that was well-nigh equivalent to a woman's chastity—something no one but the man to whom she entrusted her life might see.

And before her stood a spirit beast in human form, with Wei Zhao's primal spirit hidden on her person besides. If she stripped, how could she ever face anyone again?

"I will not repeat myself a second time," the handsome man said mildly.

Duanmu Yu did not hesitate long. Soon she had slipped off the inner garment, and now only her undergarments covered the shameful parts of her body. Yet no shyness showed on her face; instead she appeared quite composed, as though in that brief moment she had already come to terms with it.

"Not bad." The handsome man surveyed Duanmu Yu's body from head to toe with an appreciative eye. Nor was he alone—in truth even Wei Zhao had not missed this scene, and could not help clicking his tongue in secret.

Judged from a purely feminine standard, Duanmu Yu's figure was in fact not perfect; her bronze-tinged complexion was not fair enough, and she lacked a measure of womanly softness and grace. Yet she possessed a bold spirit and tautness rare in women, which lent her a certain exotic charm all her own.

Eyes off what one must not look upon! Wei Zhao felt himself guilty of peeping, but at once found himself an excuse. He needed to watch the other party's every move at all times; admiring Duanmu Yu's body was merely incidental—needs must.

"Good-looking?" Duanmu Yu suddenly asked in his mind.

"Good-looking," Wei Zhao answered instinctively—and regretted it at once. Peeped at so brazenly by a man like himself, Duanmu Yu, however free-spirited, would have to turn on him now. A maiden's chastity was at stake, after all.

"If you weren't a primal spirit, I'd gouge out your eyes this instant." Fierce as the words were, Duanmu Yu's tone was not so heated.

"I... I didn't mean to..." Wei Zhao was deeply embarrassed, and could only change the subject: "Business first, business first."

With Duanmu Yu's undressing, the atmosphere unconsciously began to turn rather amorous. The handsome man reached out to touch Duanmu Yu's body, and she hastily stepped back.

"Don't be afraid. We are husband and wife—sooner or later we must take this step," the handsome man coaxed gently.

"But... I don't even know what you are yet?" Duanmu Yu said suddenly.

"You want to know my true form?" The handsome man gave her a meaningful glance.

"Mm." Duanmu Yu nodded. In truth, the one who really wanted to ask this question was Wei Zhao; she was merely a mouthpiece. To deal with the handsome man, at the very least they must first know what his true form was.

"Very well. Since you and I are husband and wife, there's no harm in letting you know." The handsome man paused, then said: "There—this is my true form." (To be continued.)