23: Chapter 23 Dowry

This girl was taller than Zhuge Yue, wearing the same common attire of the Zhuge Family, but the style seemed much sharper.

Her appearance was six or seven parts similar to Zhuge Yue's, yet she possessed a bit more of a compelling heroic spirit and radiance. In particular, her eyes were startlingly bright, and at this moment, they were scanning him with scrutiny and curiosity.

The most eye-catching feature was her incredibly well-developed figure. The curve of her chest was astonishing, full and perky, while her waist was slender. The lines of her hips and legs were smooth yet full of a sense of power. Standing there, she was like a freshly ripened, juicy peach, exuding an aura that was both youthful and dangerous.

Standing next to the petite and more gentle, adorable Zhuge Yue, anyone who didn't know the truth would definitely mistake her for the older sister at first glance!

Li Guidai let out a "Whoa" in his heart, thinking to himself: 'This must be the little sister, Zhuge Ying, that Yueer mentioned!'

'I didn't expect... she would be so "outstanding"? With this scale and this presence, if she went out with Yueer, people would believe it if someone said she was the older sister!'

He quickly reined in his overly "homey" expression, lowered his half-raised hand without a trace, and put on what he considered his most gentle and serious smile!

He said to the tall, radiant young girl: "Hello! I am Li Guidai. You... must be the sister with great talent that your older sister often mentions, Zhuge Ying, right?"

Just as his voice fell, before he could exchange another pleasantry, suddenly!

An extremely sharp and icy aura instantly locked onto him!

It was as if he had been targeted by some dangerous predator, and his hair stood on end!

Li Guidai didn't even see how the other party moved; he only felt a flash of cold light before his eyes, and a cool sensation touched his neck!

A short sword, shimmering with cold light and thin as a cicada's wing, had already been placed silently against his neck. The blade pressed tightly against his skin, sending shivers down his spine.

Zhuge Ying's bright eyes, which had originally only held scrutiny, were now as sharp as knives. She stared fixedly at Li Guidai, her voice crisp but carrying an unquestionable sense of pressure:

"You are only at the ninth level of the Qi Refining Stage. My sister was only at the third level of the Qi Refining Stage a year ago.

Speak! What methods did you use to help her break through to the Foundation Establishment Stage so quickly?!"

This sudden turn of events gave both Li Guidai and Zhuge Yue a huge fright!

Li Guidai felt as if his heart was about to jump out of his throat. He didn't dare to move, his mind wailing frantically:

'Holy crap! What is this situation! Is the greeting gift from a sister-in-law a sword to the throat? What is wrong with this family! The older sister is gentle and lovely, why is the little sister a firecracker that explodes at the slightest touch?!'

Zhuge Yue was even more pale with fright, exclaiming: "Little sister! What are you doing! Put the sword down quickly! Don't scare your brother-in-law!"

She hurriedly stepped forward and reached out to grab Zhuge Ying's wrist, trying to take the sword away.

Zhuge Ying's wrist was as steady as a rock. Her gaze remained locked on Li Guidai as she said to her sister: "Sister, you were stuttering and couldn't explain clearly at home, so I must get to the bottom of this! If he used some crooked methods or is doing anything harmful to you..."

"It's not like that! Little sister, listen to me!"

Zhuge Yue was so anxious her eyes turned red, and she tried hard to pull her sister's hand away. "Before, at home, I... I didn't know how to explain it to you in detail. That's because... that's because..."

She stammered "That's because" for a long time, her pretty face flushed red. The rest of the words were too embarrassing to say out loud; she couldn't bring herself to say them in front of her sister, so she could only look at Li Guidai anxiously and helplessly.

Seeing his wife looking so anxious and embarrassed that she was about to cry, and feeling the coldness on his neck, Li Guidai knew he wouldn't get past this without giving an explanation.

He steeled his heart, took a deep breath, and tried to make his voice sound calmer: "Alright, alright, Ying... Sister Ying, put the sword down first, it's dangerous! Let me explain!"

Taking advantage of the moment Zhuge Ying's attention was diverted and her grip loosened slightly, he quickly sidestepped to dodge the blade, simultaneously reaching out to pull the anxious Zhuge Yue into his arms.

He held her tightly! As if this could increase his sense of security!

Then, meeting Zhuge Ying's sharp gaze, which was still full of suspicion and scrutiny, he bit the bullet and spoke in as serious and solemn a tone as possible:

"It is like this... After I... um... practiced dual cultivation with your sister, I accidentally discovered... that I seem to have awakened a special constitution.

During this... deep cultivation process, I seem to be able to mobilize and absorb the surrounding spiritual energy of heaven and earth more easily, and... um... I can also transfer spiritual energy to your sister in a way that is purer and faster than refining spirit stones!

Helping her cultivate... so... so her cultivation level improved so quickly... it really is just like that!"

His explanation was half-true and half-false. It pointed out the key points (dual cultivation and special constitution) while concealing the most core details about the system and things inconvenient to mention.

However, the combination of terms like "dual cultivation," "special constitution," "deep cultivation," and "transferring spiritual energy," spoken by a man to his sister-in-law, contained enough ambiguity and suggestion to make any young girl who hadn't experienced such things blush furiously.

Sure enough, as soon as he finished speaking, Zhuge Yue, who was in his arms, had already buried her face deep in his chest, her earlobes turning bright red. She didn't dare to look up at her sister at all.

Standing opposite them, Zhuge Ying, who had originally been aggressive and wielding a sharp sword, was stunned for a second after hearing this "explanation." Then, her bright, heroic, and pretty face turned a brilliant shade of red at a speed visible to the naked eye, spreading all the way to her neck!

Her hand holding the short sword trembled involuntarily. The sharpness and suspicion in her eyes were instantly replaced by immense shyness and embarrassment. She quickly sheathed the sword with a "clang," stood there at a loss, her gaze darting around, no longer daring to look directly at Li Guidai.

The atmosphere inside the cave dwelling instantly shifted from tense to incredibly subtle and... ambiguous.

The subtle and awkward silence in the air was eventually broken by Zhuge Yue, whose cheeks were still flushed.

She seemed to remember the main point, gently breaking free from Li Guidai's embrace, though she still leaned against him, looking up as she said:

"Brother Guidai, there is something I need to tell you. My... my breakthrough to the Foundation Establishment Stage, I don't know how, but my father found out about it."

Li Guidai's heart skipped a beat. Father-in-law knows? Was the matter of the Perfect Foundation Establishment exposed? That shouldn't be; the system shields everything very thoroughly.

Zhuge Yue continued: "Father didn't ask for the details, but... he arranged a residence for us in Lanyun City, saying we should move there to live. That residence is about a thousand square meters!"

As she spoke, there was a hint of joy and disbelief in her eyes. After all, moving from the collective dorms of Qingling Pass to a detached house in the city was a world of difference.

"And," Zhuge Yue's voice lowered, and she stole a glance at her sister, who was still feeling embarrassed,

"Father also said... that residence is also considered... also considered one of Yingying's dowries! As for the rest... I'm not too sure."