After answering a few more questions and revealing the inner workings of the Gu Clan a bit more, Gu Jintang had drunk and eaten his fill. He then swaggered off into the distance.
Before he left, Su Chen told him to let Gu Qingluo know that he, Su Chen, was here, but not to let anyone else find out.
An hour later, Gu Qingluo appeared in the Thousand Incense Pavilionâs doorway. As soon as she saw Su Chen, she leapt into his embrace, carrying with her a wave of fragrant perfume.
Su Chen caught her out of the air and gestured at the door, causing it to close. âHowâd it go? No one tailed you on your way here, right?â
Gu Qingluo blinked her large eyes she gazed at him. âNo, I did as you told me. I didnât say anything other than that I was going for a stroll. But why do I need to be this secretive?â
Su Chen sighed. âBecause taking you as my wife is something that will take a long time to accomplish.â
Yes, Su Chen had never really placed this Zhou Qingkuang in his heart.
Even if the Scarlet-Eyed Demon King Bloodline was powerful, was it more powerful than the Heavenly Fox Bloodline?
If even the clan of a Demonic Emperor Bloodline had approved of him, what was a measly Demonic King Bloodline?
Even without the Mountain-Beheading Blade, he was confident that he was able to smash all the teeth out of the mouth of any Yang Opening Realm cultivator with a Demonic King Bloodline.
However, the issue involving himself was going to be a problem.
He had no idea how to tell Gu Qingluo about Zhu Xianyao.
Having multiple wives was a common thing in this day and age, but that didnât meant that all women desired such a thing and would accept their husband having three or four wives.
Just because something was legally acceptable didnât mean it was also emotionally acceptable.
Both Gu Qingluo herself and the Gu Clan were essentially blocking him in from both sides.
The Gu Clan wouldnât really care if Su Chen had multiple wives, but what mattered the most was the status of his bloodline and whether his status was worthy of marrying into the Gu Clan.
To Gu Qingluo, Su Chenâs social status or bloodline status werenât important. What mattered to her was whether or not he loved her and was willing to marry only her.
This was the nature of the problem.
Because of this, Su Chen couldnât tell her about Zhu Xianyao yet.
He needed Gu Qingluoâs help to first deal with things on the Gu Clanâs side. After settling things there, he could then resolve his personal problems with Gu Qingluo.
Creating and carrying out this kind of plan felt like boiling the hound after it had caught the rabbit. Su Chen felt that he was being despicable.
Oh, so it wasnât until now that he realized that what he was doing was despicable?
Su Chen gulped hard and said, âYes. Iâve already talked with Gu Jintang. Thereâs two main problems: first of all, we need to think of a way to stop the wedding, and the second is that we need to get the Clan Relative Society to agree to our engagement.â
Gu Qingluo anxiously said, âNeither of these two are going to be easy.â
âIt all depends on our effort, and I am confident that we can do this. As long as youâre by my side, we can do anything.â
âYes!â Gu Qingluo nodded emphatically as she grabbed Su Chenâs hand. âNo matter what, I will only belong to you.â
Su Chen continued, âThatâs easier said than done.â
Gu Qingluo stared suspiciously at Su Chen. âYouâre not trying to tell me that you have an illegitimate son, are you?â
Su Chen replied straightforwardly, âI swear on my own Origin Energy that I absolutely do not have one.â
Gu Qingluoâs expression softened. âYes, donât worry. I understand what youâre saying. Our enemies are deceitful and will resort to any tactics they can. The most important thing is that you and I cannot give up. No matter what, we must face any adversity together!â
She gripped Su Chenâs hand tightly as she spoke.
âThatâs the right attitude!â Su Chen sighed in relief.
On some level, Gu Qingluo was like Night Demon. She had a bit of a childlike naivety and innocent nature to her. However, she was not silly to the point of almost being mentally challenged. Gu Qingluo might be a bit naive, but she was also quite smart; she was cute, but also somewhat crafty. The only reason she hadnât displayed this side to Su Chen at the Hidden Dragon Institute was because she was still suffering due to him. Her quick-witted side had been suppressed by quite a bit.
After she and Su Chen had gotten back together, her disposition was beginning to reemerge and return to the way that it was before. She seemed carefree and absent-minded sometimes, but she wasnât single-mindedly silly. She definitely had her own thoughts and feelings.
Because of this, Su Chen wanted to use this opportunity to try and catch Gu Qingluo.
Once they had steeled themselves, the next step was to figure how to deal with the problem.
The first step was to stop the wedding.
âI have a way of doing that.â Gu Qingluo waved her small hand. âFind Zhou Qingkuang a woman, get her to bait him onto a bed, and then catch him in the act. Iâll naturally be able to openly annul the engagement.â
Hiss!
Su Chen sucked in a breath of cold air. âThat wouldnât be too good, would it? A man having three or four wives is pretty common. Also, he still isnât married yet, so even if he is caught in the act, you could just write it off as an act of passion. You might not be able to annul a marriage agreement for that reason.â
Gu Qingluo rolled her eyes and placed her hands on her hips. âWhy not? Iâm the Gu Clanâs Young Miss. How could I belong to someone who acts hot and cold like that? Anyone who sows wild oats all over the place should be castrated. If you want to be my man, you need to be with solely me until the end.â
âHeyâŠâŠâ Su Chen nodded. âThatâs true, but it seems a bit overbearing. Iâm worried that if news of this spreads, the Zhou Clan might back out first before you can annul the agreement. That kind of reputationâŠâŠâ
Reputation was still important even in this society. If word spread that a woman was violent, that was still not a good thing.
Because of this, even if women didnât like it when their men took a concubine, they had to appear generous on the surface unless the situation was too excessive. Those who were more traditional wouldnât even worry about their husband taking concubines; instead, they would instead worry about whether or not they appeared overly jealous. Rather than stopping their husbands from taking concubines, they encouraged it.
As such, people fought a lot over whether or not concubines were allowed. Some refused to accept it, some tolerated it, and others even encouraged it.
Gu Qingluo didnât have too many thoughts regarding this matter. She just like this feeling of posturing, but when Su Chenâs words seemed pretty reasonable to her, so she dropped the whole controlling attitude. She blinked flirtatiously at Su Chen and asked, âThen what do you think I should do?â
âThis is a pretty big deal, so we should approach things carefullyâŠâŠâ Su Chen pondered for a moment, then asked, âRight, when is Zhou Qingkuang going to arrive in Swallow River City?â
âHe said that he would come as soon as he finished taking care of business with his family. Itâll probably be at least seven or eight days.â
Su Chen lowered his head in thought for a few moments. âThatâs too little time. We need more time. Taking care of family businessâŠâŠ taking care of family businessâŠâŠ Iron Cliff!â
âRight here, sir.â
Su Chen tossed the Shadow Flame Glove over to Iron Cliff. âGo to Hecheng and create some âfamily businessâ for him to take care of to his heartâs content. The longer you delay, the better.â