Chapter 76 Snowflakes and Kiss Leave His Punishment.

After Shen Zhou finished speaking, Hua Deng, out of self-preservation instinct, took another step back.

She understood Shen Zhou's personality. If he wanted answers, he would find them himself. Once he asked, he wouldn't want an answer, but something else entirely.

As expected, upon seeing her actions, Shen Zhou showed no unusual reaction and continued to smile, saying, "Hua Deng, why don't you come over?"

When she still didn't move, he sighed softly and stood up from his chair.

The tall figure added an even more oppressive atmosphere to the already gloomy room.

As he took a step closer, Hua Deng stepped back. After the initial panic, she wasn't afraid. She knew Shen Zhou wouldn't hurt her, but his hunting-like aura made her subconsciously unwilling to touch him.

His expression was calm, his gaze indulgent, condoning her actions without showing any sign of anger.

But Hua Deng knew that the real him was far from being as calm as he appeared.

After the calm, there will either be a tsunami that tears her apart and crushes her, or the fangs of a beast piercing her throat.

As she backed away, she bumped into the table, the teacups clinking together with a crisp sound. She then bumped into a chair, which creaked as she kicked it away.

Finally, her legs hit the edge of the bed, leaving her with nowhere to retreat.

The familiar layout finally made her realize that this was no other place than her room in the Yaoqing Sect.

He actually moved the coffin to Haitang Garden and let her lie in it for seven days.

Hua Deng felt a chill run down her spine. She couldn't imagine what Chen Zhou must have felt during those seven days, gazing at the coffin.

The streetlights don't want to be removed anymore.

She took a step forward and threw herself into Shen Zhou's arms, wrapping her arms around his waist, and said in a muffled voice, "I'm sorry, Shen Zhou."

Shen Zhou remained silent.

His chest rose and fell gently, his breathing remained unchanged, but the hand clasped around her lower back tightened, almost as if he were merging her into his very bones.

A moment later, Hua Deng heard his hoarse voice: "Are you injured?"

"……No."

Before she could say anything more after saying that, Shen Zhou grabbed her chin and suddenly leaned down to kiss her.

She had never felt such an urgent and passionate kiss from him.

He tore at her lips, pried open her teeth, and swept from her palate to the tip of her tongue, forcefully entangled with her.

He held her tongue in his mouth as if to bite it off, but ultimately couldn't bring himself to use force, turning it into a venting lick.

It was an extremely aggressive kiss; he was trying to take everything from her, not letting a single drop of her saliva go to waste.

Their kiss deepened, their lips meeting, as if he wanted to use this moment to express all his emotions and all his words to her.

The lights certainly felt it.

His longing, his forbearance, his madness, his love...

She was on the verge of suffocating several times. Instead of pushing him away, she clung to him tightly, like a drowning person grasping at the only piece of driftwood.

After a long kiss, Hua Deng's body went limp. He held her in his arms, but he was still not satisfied. He kissed her eyes, stroked her cheeks, and whispered sweet nothings in her ear.

Hua Deng finally found an opportunity to speak: "I'm sorry, Shen Zhou, I..."

But Shen Zhou stopped her from continuing. He kissed her lips and said slowly, "You don't need to apologize to me. Those people took you away. I know you don't want to leave me, right?"

That's right, Hua Deng nodded hesitantly, trying to continue: "Because it is..."

"Shhh."

Shen Zhou placed a finger on her lips and smiled contentedly.

"It doesn't matter who they are, I've already caught them all."

Does it refer to the people he killed in the book-reading bureau?

Seeing her confused expression, Shen Zhou smiled, picked her up with one hand, let her sit on his arm, and turned to walk outside.

Hua Deng: "...!"

What kind of posture is that? Aren't your arms tired?!

He was certainly not tired, and he strode forward steadily, so much so that even the streetlights didn't shake when he kicked open the door.

Her partner's mental state was worrying, and Hua Deng felt she bore some responsibility. She had no choice but to hold onto his shoulders and follow him forward. She was forced to occupy higher ground, a vantage point from which she could clearly see everything in front of her.

Upon seeing it clearly, her pupils suddenly contracted, and she opened her mouth in disbelief.

It was nighttime, and there was no moon or starlight in the Yaoqing Sect. The entire sky was shrouded in black mist, and the atmosphere was terrifyingly oppressive.

There was no wind, no chirping of insects, no calls of birds; only a large group of people kneeling outside the Begonia Garden. They were mindless, unconscious, and could do nothing but kneel.

Hua Deng gasped. He had meant "catch them all" literally!

They walked all the way to Yaoqing Hall, where every place along the way was filled with kneeling people, densely packed, numbering in the tens of thousands, or even more.

What's even more terrifying is that, with the eyesight of Hua Deng at the Golden Core stage, she can see people beyond the Yaoqing Sect. In other words, there are no normal people within a radius of at least several dozen miles; they are all Shen Zhou's puppets!

During the seven days she was gone, he turned the entire Kyushu into his puppet!

While Hua Deng was still in a daze, Shen Zhou had already carried her and sat down outside Yao Qing Tang.

Countless people bowed and prostrated themselves before her.

However, there was one exception: Imazawa, who was in charge of guarding these people. Imazawa stood far away, clutching a sword in his hand, which trembled continuously.

Hua Deng had met Jin Ze many times, and she wanted to ask him about his relationship with Jin Yue, but now was not the time.

Because Jinze's usually arrogant face was now filled with terror and helplessness. He stared at the streetlights, his expression as if he had seen a ghost, perhaps even more frightening than seeing a ghost.

He was the only one who witnessed those seven days firsthand.

At first, when Shen Zhou brought the lantern to Ziyang Palace, he didn't take it seriously. However, the Left Protector was worried and said, "That prince looks very angry. Be careful not to provoke him."

Jin Ze thought it was impossible. Shen Zhou never got angry. If he didn't like someone, he would just kill them. What in the world could disturb his Dao heart? There was nothing.

But later Jinze discovered that he was wrong, completely wrong, utterly absurd.

That evening, Ziyang Palace welcomed two new guests, a young boy and girl.

The woman's surname was Su, and the man's surname was Pei. Jin Ze didn't know what Shen Zhou had done, but when he was ordered to take the two away, the woman was alright, but the man was crying his eyes out, wiping his clothes with tears and snot.

According to this guy, Shen Zhou used a soul-searching technique on him. Jin Ze didn't want to get his clothes dirty again, so he casually replied, "It's good enough that you're alive. How many people do you think can escape from Shen Zhou's clutches?"

But the guy kept crying, so Jinze had no choice but to knock him unconscious.

The next day, Shen Zhou took Hua Deng out for a while, and when he returned, he was dragging a white jade coffin.

He placed the woman inside and guarded her day and night.

They were inside the Fuxian Palace and no one was allowed to disturb them. Sometimes, when Jinze passed by, he would be forced back by Jinze's sword energy.

On the third day, Shen Zhou walked out of the palace with a terrifying expression. Jin Ze had never seen him like this before. He looked like a vengeful ghost, exuding a murderous aura.

Jinze heard him say, "What did I do wrong?"

What did he do wrong?

Jinze didn't know, and it seemed he didn't know either.

That day, he went to see the woman surnamed Su again. He wanted to make a move on her several times, but for some reason, he didn't.

On the fourth day, Shen Zhou was to take Hua Deng back to Yao Qing Sect.

He said that Ziyang Palace had too much blood and energy, which Hua Deng didn't like. Although the Hua family was good, going back like this would worry Hua Deng's parents. So he chose Yaoqing Sect.

If Hua Deng goes to Yao Qing Zong, will she be able to return? Jin Ze doesn't think so.

Even though he didn't know what had happened, he still called out to Shen Zhou: "Anyway, this woman is already like this, you should hurry up and undergo your tribulation to reincarnate! Otherwise, you'll die before she does!"

Shen Zhou remained unmoved, not even glancing at him.

He roared in anger, "You want to give up everything and just leave her by your side like this? Can you protect her for the rest of your life?!"

But Shen Zhou actually laughed, and replied with a smile, "Why not?"

From that moment on, Jinze knew that Shenzhou had gone mad!

He actually wanted her for life.

Jinze could do nothing but watch helplessly, but thankfully the woman finally woke up.

He still vividly remembers the immense turmoil that surged within him when he was summoned to the Yaoqing Sect to oversee these puppet figures.

He knew of Shen Zhou's power and regarded him as an unattainable peak, but this was the first time he had truly understood just how powerful this peak was.

Hua Deng didn't understand Jin Ze's inner thoughts; she only saw his complicated gaze, which then disappeared as Jin Ze lowered his head and knelt down like the other puppets.

Shen Zhou nuzzled her hair.

She was being held by him, sitting on his lap, in a way that resembles holding a baby.

Hua Deng felt inexplicably ashamed and shifted restlessly a couple of times. He chuckled, patted her leg, and coaxed, "Be good, Hua Deng."

Honestly, it's so weird, the streetlights are frozen in place.

She looked around and, not seeing Su Yiqing, breathed a sigh of relief.

"Is Su Yiqing alright?" she asked worriedly.

“You didn’t come back too late, so she’s still alright,” Shen Zhou replied with a smile.

Hua Deng couldn't speak, so she nudged his arm, which was across his waist, to signal him to relax.

As a result, Shen Zhou tightened his grip even more. Hua Deng had no choice but to give up. He pressed his head against hers in an extremely intimate manner, but with tens of thousands of puppets in front of her, Hua Deng felt her scalp tingle.

Shen Zhou was completely unaware that anything was wrong. He played with her fingers and whispered in her ear, "Is there something here that you don't like, that's why you want to leave me?"

The streetlights were about to give way; she really wanted to explain: "It's because..."

“I understand,” Shen Zhou said. “It’s him, isn’t it? You’ve always hated him the most.”

Looking in the direction the lanterns were pointing, he saw that the person he was referring to was Duan Yi.

The young man knelt in the crowd, his eyes vacant and his body hunched over, completely unaware that his death was imminent.

Shen Zhou snapped his fingers, and he exploded into fireworks.

Apart from the streetlights, no one reacted.

Those people remained kneeling, their expressions unchanged. Even Sword Master Qiu Ce was there, as were the Qingyang Sect Leader and others whom they had met before.

It can be said that the Immortal Alliance was completely wiped out.

Hua Deng glanced at Chen Zhou, whose icy fingers lifted her hand and kneaded the knuckles of her index finger: "Who do you want to die next?"

Without waiting for Hua Deng's reply, he casually turned Hua Deng's hand, pointing his fingertips at Tang Yifeng, an acquaintance.

He said, "I knew you didn't like him."

And so Tang Yifeng turned into fireworks.

The next target was Sui Xiuyan, because he had pointed the lantern in that direction.

Hua Deng withdrew his hand.

Shen Zhou's face darkened instantly, and Hua Deng saw a shadow of him from ten thousand years ago.

But he will only be more difficult and troublesome than he was 10,000 years ago.

Hua Deng picked up his head, kissed him, and didn't say anything, just looked at him.

Shen Zhou remained expressionless.

Hua Deng kissed his eyes again, and the murderous intent in his eyes dissipated slightly, but he still looked very unhappy.

She kissed his cheek, and he lowered his eyelids, withdrawing his hand that was ready to kill at any moment.

She kissed his lips, took them into her mouth, slowly biting and sucking, until finally he held her close and returned the kiss fiercely.

All murderous intent was replaced by a passionate kiss.

He didn't just kiss her; he did other things too.

Beneath his palm, Hua Deng felt a surge of heat, but he opened his eyes in his intoxication and, upon seeing the moonlight, suddenly sobered up.

This is outside...! And there are so many "people" here!

Although no one will see it, and no one will remember it.

But she absolutely could not accept it.

As she hurriedly tried to push Chen Zhou away, he grabbed her chin, stared at her intently, and asked in a deep voice, "Where do you want to go this time?"

Hua Deng really wanted to bite him to death.

His hand was still there, and she grew increasingly hot, panting as she said, "That's not the point... I'm not interested in you like this."

Chen Zhou paused in his movements.

He stared at her for two seconds with an ambiguous expression, then suddenly withdrew his hand, a half-smile on his face.

She was lifted up horizontally and, in a flash, found herself in a familiar place.

It is the Broken Cloud Palace.

She breathed a sigh of relief; no one would bother her here, which was acceptable to her.

Chen Zhou stepped on the clouds, bypassed the stove, and came to the couch by the window.

A small table was placed on the couch, and on the table was a dish of fresh and juicy jujubes.

Hua Deng remembered that she once said that if she could sit around the fire here, enjoy the snow, and eat Zhu Luo fruit, she would be the happiest person in the world.

Shen Zhou placed her on the couch, opened the window, and saw that it was indeed snowing outside.

Hua Deng looked up at the snow, then suddenly let out a sob, and looked down to see his palm.

With his other hand, he picked up a jujube and held it to her lips.

The streetlights opened their mouths, their sentences almost incoherent.

"Wait...your hand..."

"Don't you like it? Why aren't you eating it?"

"Right now... I don't want to..."

“Eat it,” he said. “If those above don’t eat it, then those below will.”

Hua Deng trembled, then stopped refusing and painstakingly ate a Zhu Luo fruit cleanly from his fingers.

The fruit should have tasted delicious, but now, his hand was down, and she was shaking her head, barely able to swallow.

It was swallowed whole, and you couldn't taste anything at all.

Shen Zhou lowered his head and praised her: "Great job."

He ate the fruit, and he also ate his fingers.

The lights were broken, and he was speechless.

The heavier the snowfall, the warmer the stove.

The Broken Cloud Palace was peaceful and tranquil.

The snow was heavy but there was no wind. Hua Deng leaned against the window frame, being fed by him, and ate another piece of fruit.

It was a beautiful moment, if only his other hand could stop.

Even after all that, he acted like nothing had happened, kissing her and asking, "Are you happy now?"

I'd be even happier if you didn't weigh me down.

But Hua Deng couldn't say those words; she only answered with the first two words: "Happiness."

He chuckled, then his kiss landed on her, along with the snowflakes.

The streetlights tilted their heads back, looking dazed.

The cold snow fell on her.

Snowflakes landed on her neck, then her collarbone, waist, and sides of her legs...

The snow fell heavily, making it difficult to resist.

The snowmelt, moist and meandering, gradually seeps into places that are hard to describe.

The stove crackled, and the flames flickered.

The streetlights were faintly visible, and the moon peeked out from behind the clouds, adding a touch of brightness to the night.

It was clearly late at night, yet some people were already enjoying their food.

Savor it slowly, just like when she eats fruit.

Hua Deng reached out to push his head away.

He still wore the hairband she had given him on the back of his dark head, the camellia pattern faintly visible in the moonlight.

Her hand eventually landed on his hair, instead of pushing him away.

The heater was blazing hot, while outside the window, a fierce wind and snowstorm swept over the senses, lingering for a long time.

Much later, the snowfall subsided.

The lantern, now limp and lifeless, collapsed onto the couch, something pressing down on its back.

When I took it out, I realized it was her favorite raccoon plush toy, which she had left here last time and forgotten to take with her.

The plush toy was the same as always, a cute raccoon with a big smiling face. But a closer look revealed water stains on its plush surface, a testament to what had just happened.

She sometimes needs to be held while sleeping, but this time she couldn't bear to look at her directly.

Hua Deng fell silent for a moment. She threw away the doll and was held by Chen Zhou. Her body slowly relaxed, and she leaned lazily against his chest.

Suddenly, he stopped patting her back, paused, and stood up to move a little distance away from her.

The hazy eyes opened again and looked at him.

Shen Zhou took one of her hands and said slowly, "You're not thinking this is the end, are you?"

When he said this, his expression was even gentler than usual, with a smile on his face.

“I’m so happy you’re back with me, this is a reward.”

“But I’m very unhappy that you left me, so there needs to be a punishment.”

He led her hand to the knotted buttons on his collarbone, brooking no refusal—

"Help me take it off."