"You…"
Xun'er's breath hitched as she met Gu Fei's icy gaze. That disdain in his voice—so unfamiliar—sent a violent tremor through her heart.
For months, Gu Fei had been nothing but devoted. Gentle. Patient.
He had never once raised his voice at her.
But now? That obedience was gone, replaced by a coldness she couldn't recognize.
And she hated how it unsettled her.
[Ding! Xun'er panics. Emotion value +100.]
"B-But even so, I've never betrayed you!"
Her voice wavered, her golden eyes dropping to the floor. The defiance from moments ago had crumbled into something feeble.
"Really?" Gu Fei's laugh was razor-thin. "As your husband, I invited you out countless times. You always refused—cultivation, clan duties, some excuse every time."
He stepped closer, his voice dropping to a dangerous whisper.
"Yet the moment your 'brother' Xiao Yan whispers your name, you're ready to sneak off for a secret rendezvous. Even hiding it from your own clan."
His lips curled. "Tell me, Xun'er. How is that not suspicious?"
"..."
The silence between them was suffocating.
Xun'er's nails dug into her palms. Gu Fei's calmness terrified her more than any outburst. It meant he no longer cared.
And worse—he wasn't wrong.
As a wife, she'd failed.
As a woman married into the Gu Clan, distancing herself from other men was basic decency.
[Ding! Guilt and panic overwhelm Xun'er. Emotion value +200.]
"I… It's not what you think," she stammered. "I just—"
"You just never saw me as your husband." Gu Fei cut her off, his voice hollow. "No matter how much I gave, I could never compete with him."
"That's not true!"
But the protest died in her throat.
Even she couldn't lie convincingly. Not when her actions screamed the truth.
"Our marriage meant nothing to you." Gu Fei turned away, his next words slicing deep. "All my efforts were wasted. Cheap. Compared to the history you share with your 'brother'."
The word brother dripped with venom.
Xun'er's chest tightened.
Before the marriage, Gu Fei had been relentless in his pursuit. A rising star, favored by heaven itself.
And now? The way he looked at her—like she was a stranger—sent a pang of fear through her.
Divorce would ruin her.
She couldn't allow it.
"Also," Gu Fei's voice turned lethally soft, "I am your husband. Yet you gift another man our clan's secret techniques. The Golden Emperor's Heavenly Flames. Arrange secret meetings..."
His eyes darkened like storm clouds.
"Were you saving your purity for him too?"
"NO!"
Xun'er's shriek tore through the room. Her hands flew to cover her ears as if she could unhear the accusation. The sheer disgust in Gu Fei's voice shattered something inside her.
[Ding! Xun'er suffers emotional collapse! Critical hit! Emotion value +1000]
Tears streaked down her porcelain cheeks as she gasped out: "I just... I wasn't ready! That's all!"
"Ready?" Gu Fei's laugh was brutal. "What exactly requires preparation? Six months of marriage, and you still recoil from my touch."
He leaned in, his breath hot against her ear:
"Or were you waiting to offer your first night to someone else?"
"How DARE you—!" Xun'er slapped him.
The crack echoed through the bamboo chamber. Her entire body trembled, tears flowing freely now. "Am I some... some common harlot in your eyes?"
[Ding! Xun'er's rage flares. Emotion value +100]
Even weeping, she was ethereal - the kind of beauty that moved poets to verse. Most men would have fallen to their knees begging forgiveness.
Gu Fei merely wiped his cheek, unmoved.
"Then explain." His voice was steel. "Why does Xiao Yan deserve what your own husband is denied?"
Xun'er opened her mouth—then froze.
No justification came. Only shame.
[Ding! Shame overwhelms Xun'er. Emotion value +100]
Gu Fei turned away, pouring himself wine. The casual gesture stung more than any violence.
After an agonizing silence, Xun'er whispered: "I only wanted to help him. I never betrayed you..."
"Liar."
The cup shattered in his grip.
"You gave him treasures even I haven't earned. Track his every move. Now you plot secret trysts—"
"IT'S NOT LIKE THAT!"
"Then what is it?!" Gu Fei roared, finally unleashing his fury. "You cling to virginity like a prize for him while treating me as some unwanted obligation!"
Xun'er staggered back as if struck.
[Ding! Xun'er's guilt intensifies. Emotion value +300]
Gu Fei exhaled sharply, regaining control. When he spoke again, it was with terrifying calm:
"I loved you once. Nearly destroyed myself for you."
His fingers traced the marriage crest on his robe. "I believed time would melt your coldness. That one day, you'd see me."
A bitter smile.
"Now I understand. Your heart belongs to another. Your body refuses me. Very well."
He tore the crest free, letting it clatter to the floor.
"But don't expect me to keep paying for what you'll never give."
Xun'er collapsed to her knees, the finality in his voice more devastating than any insult.
[Ding! Ultimate shame breakthrough! Emotion value +500]