Chapter 497

Chapter 497: Healing Begins

Outside the secret chamber, Shu Hongliu had long been waiting, sensing the fluctuations.

Today she wore a pale blue dress, her figure graceful and her temperament elegant, a gentle smile gracing her refined features.

When she saw Zhou Luo emerge, she was instantly captivated by his majestic aura and extraordinary bearing, his face as flawless as fine jade.

The glow emanating from his entire body amplified his perfection, making him appear like an immortal who had walked out of a celestial realm—radiant and stirring.

Even Shu Hongliu, well-traveled as she was, found herself entranced, her beautiful eyes shimmering with a glimmer of light.

"Congratulations, husband."

She called out softly, then stepped forward and gently embraced him. Slightly tilting her head up, her sparkling, rosy lips brushed his cheek in a light, fleeting kiss.

Over the past three months, to avoid disrupting dual cultivation, they had refrained from intimacy, though tender gestures between them remained frequent.

After all, they were now husband and wife.

Especially through their time together recently, Shu Hongliu had become utterly captivated by Zhou Luo.

She had initially thought him merely a fortunate soul who happened upon a mystical opportunity.

But upon truly knowing him, she realized how remarkable he was.

His conduct and dealings far surpassed the cultivators she had encountered, while his insights into talents and cultivation left her in awe.

Moreover, through her interactions with the Zhou family, she came to learn

that he had climbed step by step from being a son-in-law taken into the household, reaching the heights he now occupied.

The bitterness in his journey might elude others, but Shu Hongliu—who had once ventured into Jinyun Immortal City alone—understood it all too well.

She knew deeply just how difficult cultivation could be for one person.

Thus, she had now fully embraced him as her husband.

Zhou Luo breathed in her orchid-like fragrance and wrapped his arms around her delicate, curvaceous form, boldly and unyieldingly capturing her lips in another kiss.

After a long, lingering embrace, Shu Hongliu finally broke away.

Her face flushed scarlet as she gasped for breath, a hint of shyness in her expression.

Zhou Luo smiled faintly, a wayward impulse stirring within him.

Were it not that the Technique of the Phoenix and the Luan required dual cultivation to be her first time, he might have swept her off to the secret chamber right then.

"Husband, I’ve prepared some food for you," Shu Hongliu said, noting the look in his eyes and swiftly changing the subject.

"Mhm."

Zhou Luo stepped forward, circling his arm around her soft, slender waist as they walked toward the dining hall.

Over the meal, he naturally inquired about matters concerning the family.

Now that the agreement was finalized, combined with Shu Hongliu’s soaring affection toward him,

Zhou Luo had asked Lin Xi to send representatives to arrange their cooperation.

Although it was said Shu Hongliu would hand her enterprises over to the family, her shops were exceedingly distant from Qinyuan Domain. What’s more, the treacherous path was vulnerable to raids by bandits and evil cultivators.

Even for a Foundation Establishment cultivator, traversing two large regions bore immense risk.

So currently, these industries were still in Shu Hongliu’s hands, though she needed to regularly provide some magical artifacts to the family.

Of course, since Shu Hongliu was still in recovery, Zhou Luo did not force her to craft large numbers of magical artifacts, only temporarily returning some magical artifacts used by Qi-Refining cultivators to the family.

However, according to the news Shu Hongliu had received, the convoy they were responsible for escorting had been attacked. Although the goods arrived safely at the Zhou family, the convoy had suffered heavy casualties and was now healing at the Zhou family.

Hearing these words, Zhou Luo raised his eyebrows.

You see, this convoy included a Foundation Establishment cultivator; unexpectedly, transport issues still arose.

But this was unavoidable.

For a long time, there had been no good transport routes between the various regions.

Unless he became a fifth-tier formation master, in which case he could set up a grand teleportation formation.

That would not only save manpower and material resources but also avoid attracting covetous gazes.

With a fifth-tier formation master being equivalent to the Spirit Transformation Realm, within the entire Jinyun State, they would likely be preeminent.

Building such a formation was unknown when it might happen.

"Hmm, since the risks are this great, halt the transport for now. We’ll discuss it after returning to the Qinyuan Domain," said Zhou Luo.

"Good," said Shu Hongliu without opposing it.

Through several letter exchanges, she had become friendly with Lin Xi and now strongly wished to see Zhou Luo’s wives, concubines, and children.

After the meal, Zhou Luo planned to extract the extreme Yang energy from her body.

So the two arrived at Shu Hongliu’s boudoir.

Her room was decorated simply, with a faint orchid scent in the air, fresh and light, making one feel quite comfortable.

Beside it was a long Dao platform prepared specifically for both of them.

Shu Hongliu sat cross-legged on it, a trace of nervousness showing on her face.

After all, this concerned her survival, inevitably causing distracting thoughts to stir.

Especially since Zhou Luo had told her that to prevent external disturbances during the extraction of the extreme Yang energy, they must remove their clothes.

"Prepare to begin,"

said Zhou Luo slowly as he undid his clothes.

Compared to Shu Hongliu’s nerves, his expression remained calm.

Now he was no longer that innocent young man; rich with experiences, he generally faced such situations with composure.

Shu Hongliu pursed her lips; seeing he had started already, she gritted her teeth and stripped off her outer skirt.

With the skirt dropping, it revealed her snow-like skin. Her figure was full and curvaceous, her smooth and refined skin even faintly shimmering.

Slowly, she shed all her clothes, a soft blush appearing on her cheeks, feeling rather embarrassed.

Fortunately, Zhou Luo maintained his calm demeanor, lessening some of her inner tension.

Seeing her like this, while outwardly composed, ripples stirred inside Zhou Luo.

Though accustomed to such matters, with a naked beauty seated before him, his gaze inevitably strayed to other thoughts.

After all, he was a man, a man filled with vitality.

He took a deep breath, suppressed the inner heat, and sat facing her opposite.

Their eyes met, and a faint atmosphere of ambiguity rose in the air.

"Husband,"

called Shu Hongliu softly, her face flushed red, unknown what to do.

"You only need to close your eyes and open your mind. Leave the rest to me," said Zhou Luo placidly.

Shu Hongliu looked at his calm, starry eyes steady as water, easing some of her nervous anxiety.

She nodded gently, then closed her eyes, keeping herself at peace.