Chapter 1: The Groom of Shame & The Night of Awakening
In the Nine Heavens Continent, a man without a Dantian is not a man. He is livestock.
The air in Mist Cloud City was thick with the scent of expensive incense and the unspoken stench of mockery.
Inside the Golden Dragon Pavilion, the Master of Ceremonies' voice boomed through the rafters, sounding less like a blessing and more like a death sentence.
"Bow to the Heavens!
Jiang Yi gritted his teeth, forcing his stiff, unyielding body to bend. The red silk of his groom's robes felt like iron shackles, weighing down his shoulders with the leaden weight of humiliation.
The banquet hall was a sea of the city's elite. They lounged on chairs of spirit wood, sipping jade-distilled wine and feasting on the roasted flesh of high-tier beasts.
Yet, their eyes weren't on the feast; they were fixed on the couple in the center of the hall with a predatory, unrestrained glee.
This wasn't a wedding. It was a public execution of a man's dignity.
"Look at him," a whisper drifted from the front row, sharp enough to cut through the festive flute music. "The fallen star of the Jiang Clan. From the city's top genius to a dog on a leash in three years."
"He should be kneeling in gratitude," another voice sneered.
"To sleep under the same roof as Su Ruoyan? Even if he's just a human talisman to ward off the Blood Sect's advances, he's the luckiest trash in the empire."
Jiang Yi heard every syllable. Inside his long, embroidered sleeves, his knuckles turned white as he clenched his fists.
Trash. Shield. Dog.
He had transmigrated into this broken shell only three days ago, but the memories were searing. The Su Family didn't want a son-in-law; they needed a sacrificial lamb.
By marrying him, Su Ruoyan was "taken," providing a legal shield against the predatory Sect Leaders who circled her like vultures.
He glanced to his side, and for a moment, the world slowed.
Su Ruoyan stood beside him, as breathtaking and remote as a mountain glacier.
She was devastatingly beautiful—the kind of woman for whom kings would burn their own capitals.
Her skin was polished white jade, her lips a splash of crimson, and her figure, draped in the tight ceremonial dress, was a masterpiece of lethal curves.
But her gaze never touched him. She stared at the empty air, her eyes vacant and weary. To her, Jiang Yi was nothing more than a piece of furniture she had rented for a monthly fee.
"Husband and wife, bow to each other!"
Jiang Yi turned. For a heartbeat, their eyes met. He saw no affection, only a cold, business-like pity.
Fine, Jiang Yi thought, a spark of cold fire igniting in his chest. Treat me as a tool today.
But remember this look, Su Ruoyan. The wheel of destiny is about to break.
Late Night. The Bridal Chamber.
The heavy oak doors slammed shut, the thud echoing like the closing of a tomb. The silence that followed was heavy, broken only by the crackle of red "Dragon and Phoenix" candles.
Su Ruoyan let out a jagged breath, her regal posture finally collapsing. The "Queen of Gold" aura vanished, replaced by the exhaustion of a twenty-year-old woman carrying the weight of a dying clan.
She walked to the massive, silk-draped bed and sat, kicking off her embroidered heels without sparing him a glance.
"There is a spare blanket in the closet," she said, her voice a melodious but freezing wind.
"The floor is carpeted. It will have to do."
Jiang Yi remained standing by the door. "The floor?"
Ruoyan looked up, her elegant brows knitting together in frustration.
"Did you truly expect a place in this bed? Jiang Yi, remember the contract. You are a shield. I pay you ten Spirit Stones a month simply to exist. Do not mistake a transaction for a relationship."
She stood up, her fingers reaching for the golden clasp of her robe.
Swish.
The heavy red silk slid from her shoulders, pooling on the floor like a spill of blood.
Underneath, she wore only a thin, translucent white chemise. It clung to her damp skin, outlining the terrifyingly perfect curve of her waist and the deep, snowy valley of her chest. In the candlelight, she looked less like a mortal and more like a moon-goddess.
She possessed a Peerless Yin Body—a literal treasure for any cultivator.
Jiang Yi felt his pulse quicken—a volatile cocktail of the original owner's shame and a man's primal hunger.
"What are you staring at?" Ruoyan's eyes flashed with icy killing intent. A faint blue mist of Spirit Qi began to rise from her skin. "Look again, and I'll ensure you never see anything else. Turn around."
She was a Spirit Core Realm master. He was a mortal cripple. She could snuff out his life with a flick of her finger.
But Jiang Yi didn't flinch. He took a step forward.
"We are married," he said, his voice dropping an octave. "If I sleep on the floor, the servants will whisper by dawn. The Blood Sect will know the marriage is a sham by noon. Is that the 'shield' you paid for?"
Ruoyan froze, her hand pausing over her hairpins. The logic was undeniable, but the audacity of this "trash" talking back made her blood boil.
"Fine," she hissed, pointing to the extreme edge of the king-sized mattress. "Stay on that side. If you cross the middle line, I will break your legs personally."
"Deal."
Jiang Yi climbed onto the bed. The scent of her—a mix of cold orchids and warm milk—hit him like a physical blow.
He lay there, stiff and silent, as Ruoyan extinguished the candles with a flick of her wrist.
Silence reigned. Jiang Yi stared into the darkness, his heart hammering. Is this it? A lifetime of being a ghost in my own home?
Suddenly, a sound vibrated through the very marrow of his bones.
[Ding!]
[System Booting... Linking to Soul Origin...]
[Scanning Host... Critical Damage Detected in Dantian: 99%...]
[Scanning Environment... Divine-Tier Yin Source Detected!]
Jiang Yi's eyes snapped open, glowing in the dark.
[Target Locked: Su Ruoyan]
[Rating: 9.2/10 (Peerless Goddess)]
[Physique: Dormant Ice Phoenix Body (Incompatible with Current Cultivation)]
[Status: Legal Wife]
[The Supreme Dual Cultivation System is Online.]
[Core Directive: Conquer Goddesses. Plunder Yin. Build the Supreme Harem.]
[Newbie Gift Pack Unlocked!]
[Reward: Primal Chaos Yang Body (Tier 1)]
> Effect 1: Absolute Dantian Reconstruction.
> Effect 2: "Emperor's Pheromones" (Passive). Your Yang Energy is now fatally irresistible to those with Yin Physiques.
Boom.
It wasn't a subtle shift. It was a tectonic explosion.
A torrent of golden heat erupted in Jiang Yi's gut. The shattered remains of his Dantian didn't just heal—they melted and reformed into a swirling vortex of golden chaos.
The weakness that had plagued him for years evaporated.
His muscles rippled, filling with a dense, explosive power. His skin radiated a faint, golden hue, and his aura shifted from a "dying dog" to a "soaring dragon."
Beside him, Su Ruoyan let out a sharp, strangled gasp.
She was facing away, but she felt it. A wave of oppressive, magnetic heat rolled off Jiang Yi's body, washing over her like a summer gale.
It wasn't just physical warmth; it was a scent—thick, masculine, and primal—that bypassed her defenses and struck her straight in her soul.
Her Ice Phoenix Body, which usually kept her blood cool and her mind sharp, suddenly screamed with a hunger she didn't understand.
"Jiang... Jiang Yi?" her voice trembled, losing its icy edge. "What is this? What did you do?"
She tried to circulate her Qi, but her inner energy felt sluggish, melting away under the assault of the aura he was radiating. Her skin grew flushed; her legs pressed together instinctively.
Jiang Yi turned his head. In the shadows, his eyes burned with a predatory golden light. He didn't need to force her; he had become the sun, and she was a flower reaching for the light.
He reached out, his hand closing around her wrist. His grip was like heated iron—strong, certain, and burning.
"Ruoyan," his voice resonated in her very chest. "You're shivering. Your Ice Art is backfiring, isn't it?"
He pulled. She didn't resist. She couldn't. Her body was betraying her, yearning for the golden heat he offered.
"Let me fix that for you."
Jiang Yi moved with a speed he hadn't possessed moments ago, hovering over her. He looked down at the "Queen of Gold," who was now wide-eyed and panting, her face a deep crimson, her gaze misty with a chaotic mix of fear and craving.
"You told me not to cross the line," Jiang Yi whispered, his breath hot against her lips. "But the line doesn't exist anymore."
Su Ruoyan's mind screamed to fight, but her heart surrendered to the heat. She closed her eyes as he lowered his head.
[System Notification: Dual Cultivation Initiated. Detecting Yin Energy Influx...]
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