266: Chapter 266 Spring Has Arrived?

In the afternoon, in the main hall of the Imperial City.

The hall doors were tightly shut, and the window curtains were drawn low. The volcanic ash from the Burning Heaven Mountain Range had been mostly blown away by the high-altitude winds, allowing a rare patch of azure sky to leak in. It squeezed through the window lattice, casting several slanted beams of light onto the stone floor. Tiny dust motes floated and sank slowly within the light beams, as if disturbed by some extremely light and slow rhythm, or perhaps even the dust was reluctant to settle.

Behind the large rosewood desk deep inside the hall, Hun Feng was leaning against the back of his chair. His profound black robes were uncharacteristically untied, the collar hanging loosely open, revealing his sturdy collarbones and a patch of chest dampened by sweat. Yun Yun was held in his arms; the sash of her moon-white dress had long since come undone, and the fabric on her shoulders had slipped down to the crook of her arms, revealing a segment of snow-white, rounded shoulder and half of an exquisite collarbone. She was usually dignified and gentle, but at this moment, her hair was disheveled, a few strands of dark silk stuck to her temples by a thin layer of sweat, and her face was flushed so red it seemed it could drip blood.

"Husband, be gentler..." Yun Yun's voice was soft and light, carrying a trace of a tremor, its tail end swallowed by the action of Hun Feng capturing her earlobe. She leaned her entire body against his chest, her slender waist clamped tightly by his arms, trembling lightly with the rhythm that was sometimes slow and sometimes urgent. Every subtle rise and fall made her eyelashes flutter slightly, and the soft moans spilling from her red lips were like beads from a broken string, scattering one by one in the quiet hall.

On the other side, Xiao Yi Xian was kneeling at Hun Feng's side. Her white hair hung down like a waterfall, a few strands resting on Hun Feng's bare arm, cool to the touch, forming a strange contrast with Yun Yun's scalding body temperature. She did not have disheveled hair like Yun Yun; there was only a very faint crimson flush on her cheeks, like a thin layer of rouge applied to white porcelain, yet those eyes, clear as an ice spring, were now covered with a layer of blurred mist.

Hun Feng turned his head, one hand clasping the back of her neck to pull her closer. Xiao Yi Xian did not dodge; her eyelashes merely trembled slightly before his lips covered hers. This kiss was deep and urgent, carrying an irresistible dominance. His tongue pried open her teeth and drove straight in, entangling with her soft tongue. Xiao Yi Xian's breathing suddenly became chaotic. Her originally cool and clear eyes widened slightly, then slowly closed, her long eyelashes casting two thin shadows on her eyelids. Her hands, which had originally rested properly on her knees, now lifted involuntarily, climbing onto Hun Feng's shoulders, her fingertips curling slightly, grasping the fabric of his robes.

Hun Feng kissed her, and his hands were not idle either. The hand that had originally rested on her waist slid into the gap of her clothing. His fingertips touched her delicate, smooth skin, then traveled all the way up, covering that proud softness. Xiao Yi Xian's body stiffened abruptly, a very light muffled groan spilling from her lips, which was swallowed entirely by Hun Feng in the kiss. Her body looked slim and thin, yet the places that should be plump were surprisingly full. Hun Feng's palm could not even encompass them when he covered them, his fingertips sinking slightly into that softness. The touch was as smooth as congealed fat, trembling slightly under his palm with her increasingly rapid breathing.

Xiao Yi Xian's face finally turned red—not the faint crimson from before, but a flush that burned from her earlobes all the way down to her neck. She wanted to push him away, but her hands, pressed against his chest, could not muster even a shred of strength; instead, her fingertips only made his already loose collar even messier. Hun Feng's thumb brushed lightly over the most sensitive point on her chest. She shuddered all over, her already rapid breathing completely losing its rhythm, forcing her to move her lips away from his and turn her head to gasp for air. White hair slid down from the side of her ear, revealing the color on the tip of her ear that was red enough to drip blood. Hun Feng lowered his head to plant a kiss on her earlobe, then kissed all the way down her jawline to her collarbone, while his other hand continued to hold Yun Yun's waist, steadying her in his embrace without slowing his rhythm.

Yun Yun buried her face in Hun Feng's chest. Glancing at Xiao Yi Xian's shy and disheveled appearance, her own face flushed even redder, yet she couldn't help but let out a soft laugh. Hearing this laughter, Xiao Yi Xian raised those mist-covered eyes and glared at Yun Yun, but this glare had no lethality, instead making Yun Yun laugh even deeper.

The air in the hall was humid and stuffy, mixed with the faint scent of body fragrance from someone, slowly steaming in the afternoon light. The three people's clothes were already indistinguishable from one another. Yun Yun's skirt was piled on the rosewood chair, Xiao Yi Xian's collar had been crumpled by Hun Feng, and his own profound black robes were long since wide open, revealing his sturdy, muscular chest, which still bore light red marks from someone's fingernails.

Just at the moment when Yun Yun bit her lip tightly, Hun Feng's arms tightened, and Xiao Yi Xian was kissed until she could hardly breathe, a burst of rapid footsteps suddenly sounded outside the hall doors.

The footsteps were extremely fast and crisp, clearly belonging to someone with high cultivation. The footsteps stopped abruptly outside the hall doors, replaced by Hun Jing's lowered voice: "Hall Master, Hun Jing of the Vermilion Bird Hall has urgent matters to report."

Yun Yun's body stiffened. Her hands quickly let go of Hun Feng's collar, subconsciously wanting to struggle out of his embrace, but she was held firmly by Hun Feng's arms and could not move. In her panic, she could only bury her face in Hun Feng's chest, even the tips of her ears exposed outside turning red. Xiao Yi Xian's reaction was faster than hers—she pulled Hun Feng's hand out of her collar, pursed her lips, which were slightly swollen from his kiss, lowered her eyes, and feigned composure as she knelt back into her original position, though her fingertips were still trembling slightly. Her white hair was somewhat disheveled from Hun Feng's touch, a few strands scattered on her shoulders, and the wrinkles on her collar would not smooth out no matter how she tried.

Hun Feng took a deep breath, looked down at Yun Yun in his arms who was too shy to look up, and then at Xiao Yi Xian who was kneeling on the side pretending to be calm but whose earlobes were completely red. He was silent for a breath, then spoke. His voice still carried a bit of lingering hoarseness, but his tone had returned to his usual stability: "Come in and speak."

The hall door was pushed open just enough for one person to pass through sideways. Hun Jing flashed in and closed the door behind him. He was dressed in a crimson waist-hugging long dress today, with a Vermilion Bird jade hairpin holding his dark hair into a high bun. His pace was still as crisp and neat as ever, but after entering the hall, his gaze remained strictly lowered, staring at the stone floor three steps in front of his toes, refusing to take a single extra step. He stopped a full ten feet away from the desk, head lowered, his voice steady but his speech speed thirty percent faster than usual.

"Hall Master, urgent report from the Great Luo Territory." Hun Jing presented a secret letter with both hands. The envelope was sealed with the unique dark green Spiritual Seal of Mandala. The seal was intact, clearly unread. "Young Master Mu Chen has completely solidified his position as the master of the Great Luo Territory, and the Nine Sovereigns have all pledged their loyalty. Young Master and Young Master Luo Li have reached the cultivation level of Earth Supreme (Great Perfection) and are about to break through to Spirit Grade Heavenly Supreme. In addition, the Young Master wishes to establish his own force based in the Great Luo Territory, named 'Mu Mansion', and has specially written to ask for the Hall Master's instructions."

Hun Feng listened, his fingers unconsciously stroking Yun Yun's smooth back. Yun Yun in his arms still kept her face buried and dared not look up, but her fingertips tugged lightly on his collar—a sign urging him to reply quickly. Xiao Yi Xian on the side was still kneeling, eyes lowered, her breathing already mostly stabilized, though the fingers intertwined on her knees were still curling slightly.

Hun Feng could not attend to these details. The name Mu Chen was like a basin of cold water poured into his not-yet-settled mind, making him instantly wake up from the land of tenderness.

Earth Supreme (Great Perfection). About to break through to Spirit Grade Heavenly Supreme. Nine Sovereigns pledged loyalty. Establishing Mu Mansion. These terms rearranged themselves rapidly in his mind, suddenly aligning with another sealed memory.

In the original work, Mu Chen attacked the Ancient Floating Pagoda Clan when he was at the peak of Spirit Grade Heavenly Supreme. From the time he firmly established himself on the Tianluo Continent to establishing the Mu Mansion and integrating various forces, and then to taking the heavenly emperor sword and the One Qi Transforming into Three Purities to the gates of the Ancient Floating Pagoda Clan—this timeline spread out clearly in his mind. He had thought that this butterfly had flapped its wings too many times, and the original plot was already unrecognizable, but he had not expected the inertia of fate to be much greater than he had anticipated. Mu Chen had still reached this step, still at this cultivation node, still preparing to establish the Mu Mansion. Then, the woman imprisoned in the forbidden hall of the Ancient Floating Pagoda Clan's ancestral land—Qing Yanjing, Mu Chen's mother, Saint-Rank Heavenly Sovereign, and former Goddess of the Ancient Floating Pagoda Clan—was also about to wait for the moment she had been waiting for over a dozen years.

Hun Feng's fingers stopped at Yun Yun's waist, gently smoothing her collar, and tucked the white hair scattered on Xiao Yi Xian's shoulders back behind her ears. His movements were natural, as if he were tidying their clothes, but the force of his fingers was a bit heavier than usual.

"Go and reply to Mu Chen. The matter of the Mu Mansion is approved. Let him go ahead and do it; whatever the Great Luo Territory needs, the Spirit Hall will fully support." Hun Feng's voice returned to its usual steady tone, every word sounding as if it had been carefully considered for a long time. "There is another matter—keep a close watch on the intelligence regarding the Ancient Floating Pagoda Clan, and you go personally to confirm the next time Budu Xuan leaves the ancestral land. Report to me immediately once there is news."

Hun Jing kept his head lowered the entire time, his gaze never drifting toward the desk even once. After hearing the instructions, he cupped his fists and replied "Yes", then turned and left. When he reached the door, he paused for a moment. His voice remained steady, but the corners of his mouth curled up imperceptibly: "This subordinate will take his leave. Hall Master and the two Madams—please continue."

The hall doors closed, and the footsteps faded away. Yun Yun finally lifted her head from his arms, her face so red it could drip blood, and punched Hun Feng in the chest: "It's all your fault."

Hun Feng held her hand and turned to look—Xiao Yi Xian had already silently increased the distance between them and was lowering her head to tidy her collar, her movements calm and elegant. She tucked her fallen white hair behind her ears, revealing a side profile that was still cool and clear but carried a very faint blush, her fingertips gently smoothing every wrinkle along the texture of her collar, as if nothing had happened just now. Only the flush on her earlobes, which had not yet faded, betrayed that she was no less agitated than Yun Yun. Hun Feng reached out to her, and she hesitated for a moment, but still placed her hand in his palm. He pulled her back to his side with a gentle tug and lowered his head to plant a kiss on her forehead.

"That brat Mu Chen is finally about to reach that step." He said in a low voice, his tone filled with both gratification and deep consideration. His gaze passed over his two wives' shoulders and landed on the huge map of the Great Thousand World on the ceiling of the hall. The location of the Ancient Floating Pagoda Clan was in the southwest corner of the map, not far from the Great Luo Territory. He looked at that area for a long time, then withdrew his gaze and pulled his two wives even closer.

Outside the window, the volcano groups of the Burning Heaven Mountain Range were still spewing dark red magma. In the main hall of the Imperial City, the spring light had not yet dissipated, but the war drums had already faintly sounded in the distance.