The welcoming hall buzzed with joyous laughter as members of the Ning family streamed inside.
Yet Tang Xiao's gaze was fixed solely on Ning Ruoyan, his bride-to-be. Her silver hair danced lightly in the air, tugging at his heart, while that exquisite, picturesque face held him captive.
At that precise moment, their eyes met. The tens of meters between them seemed to vanish. Both stared at each other with an intensity that silenced everything else…
The only difference was that Rouyan's eyes shimmered with love, while Tang Xiao's glowed with deep, possessive desire.
Both felt an irresistible urge to close the distance, to embrace, to inhale the scent of one another… yet the rituals forbade it.
For the next six days, until their marriage, they could not come near each other. Foolish customs, yes—but Tang Xiao knew better than to flout them openly. Out of respect for the elders and the ancestors, he resolved to restrain himself… for now.
Still, in the back of his mind, he had already decided: tonight, he would see her, even if it meant sneaking into her quarters.
Composing himself, Tang Xiao turned his attention to greeting the Ning family.
He began with the old sect master of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, moved on to the current sect master Ning Fengzhi, and finally approached the white-haired, baby-faced old man. With him, Tang Xiao was particularly attentive.
This man was no ordinary elder. He was one of the Ning family's two Guardian Douluos—specifically, the Guardian Douluo of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect. And more strikingly, he was recognized as the world's number-one attack-type Titled Douluo in the novel, earning the title of 'Sword' the very day he entered the Titled Douluo realm.
Yes, this was Chen Xin, the Sword Douluo.
"Hmm… He is strong. Breaking into the Titled Douluo realm nearly ten years ago at seventy, he must be around level ninety-two or ninety-three now…"
"Seven Killing Sword… the world's most formidable attack-type Martial Soul, rivaled only by the Clear Sky Hammer in quality. In a few years, even these words will sound like a joke…"
Thinking of the Seven Killing Sword and Chen Xin, Tang Xiao could not suppress a faint smile.
Now that his Martial Soul had evolved to the celestial level, only two Martial Souls in the world could even approach his strength: Seraphim and the Sea God Martial Soul. Yet even they were only contenders in name alone. After all, his grandfather had once defeated Qian Daoliu using only a standard Clear Sky Hammer. With his Martial Soul evolved and mastery of the Great Sumeru Hammer technique within reach, Tang Xiao knew that in a single fight at equal rank, no one could best him… His Martial Soul was unchallenged, the undisputed strongest in the world.
With his current cultivation speed, reigning over even Qian Daoliu and Bo Saixi would be inevitable within a decade. Chen Xin? Compared to him, he would need another thirty years just to reach level ninety-seven. The precedent was clear. Even the original Tang Xiao had cultivated faster, reaching level ninety-eight after thirty years during the climactic battle among the three gods.
"In a few years, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect will essentially become my wealth machine. Haha. Whether the Spirit Hall targets them or not, I will." Tang Xiao smiled at the thought. In his mind, the categorization of upper three sects versus lower four sects was already outdated—he would redefine the hierarchy entirely.
After the pleasantries, everyone took their seats, and the hall filled with warm chatter as conversations and wedding planning stretched into the day.
.....
That night.
When the entire Clear Sky Sect was silent and only the rustling sound of the wind could be heard, a figure clad in a dark robe stealthily moved through the night and slipped inside the guest mansion where the people from the Ning family were staying.
"Oh, she is asleep?"
Seeing the figure sleeping on the bed through the window, Tang Xiao grinned.
He slowly and silently unlocked the window without making any noise and slipped inside the room.
Moving to the side of the bed and carefully observing the heavenly beauty of his fiancée, and seeing those rose-red inviting lips, he leaned closer without hesitation.
'Did she think I can't see through her acting? Woman.' Without giving her a chance, Tang Xiao directly captured her lips with his…
"You… Mmmfff…." Ning Ruoyan didn't expect her fake sleeping to be exposed. Even more, she didn't expect him to attack without any warning…
By the time she reacted, it was already too late… Her lips were already being ravished.
'How did I forget that my fiancé is a hooligan who never follows the rules…' Ning Ruoyan cried bitterly in her heart. It was a big mistake.
She could only receive his onslaught silently… Her body was already pinned under him. His body dominated hers, pressing her down completely, holding her in place.
As his rough tongue infiltrated her mouth and invaded it without her consent, she felt her body go limp… She clamped her legs together as an irresistible itch travelled through her entire body.
Seeing his fiancée cooperating and letting him ravage her lips as he pleased, he grinned wickedly…
'This is it…' Seeing her helpless beneath him, Tang Xiao felt his beastly nature awaken.
Without a second thought, he clamped her smooth swan-like neck with his large rough palm and pulled her closer… The next second, he bit her lower lip with his teeth without hesitation.
"Aaarggg…" Rouyan let out a painful moan mixed with intense pleasure as her body trembled under his wild desire.
A small crack formed, and blood seeped out as he savoured the metallic taste of her lip.
After who knew how long, once he felt satisfied, he finally released his grip on the back of her neck… which was already flushed red.
"Rouyan~ You taste heavenly, just like before." Kissing her soft cheek, Tang Xiao whispered near her ear.
"You…" Ning Rouyan felt shy and ashamed… Her ears turned red as she bit her pale, bloodless lip and looked at Tang Xiao with grievance.
"Oh my, is my Rouyan angry with her husband?" Saying this, Tang Xiao lifted her body, sat up, and placed her on his lap as he kissed her soft cheek, holding her tenderly.
"I'm not telling you…" she replied, pouting, though her heart raced with warmth, tingling from his beard brushing her cheek.
"Oh… Should I leave then?" Tang Xiao asked, lips curling into a mischievous smile.