Chapter 42 Chapter 43 Ji Bu Kui
After her bath, Ji Ma’s black hair was damp and draped over her shoulders. She sat at the dining table, resting her head on her arms with a painful twinge at the base of her tail. A certain tail enthusiast was so excited he acted like a big gorilla, pulling on his own tail multiple times.
Sitting across from her was Saintess Jenna, now free from her earlier restraint and hesitations. Her face was flushed, dressed in a bathrobe that revealed a small section of her chest, and she wore a satisfied smile that flaunted her beauty. She looked like a free girl who had broken free from the constraints of feudal etiquette.
After George took his seat, he said, “Ji Ma? Are you okay just now?”
“Not okay,” Ji Ma replied. “I suspect you’re not human because, based on human anatomy, it’s impossible to store so much Holy Water of Anti-Demon.”
“Cough cough, sorry. I didn’t realize that stuff could harm you.”
“Your apology comes too late,” Ji Ma said. “If you had cared earlier, you wouldn’t have given me several more righteous attacks.”
“I just couldn’t help myself; I like you too much, Ji Ma.”
Saintess Jenna smiled and reminded, “Ji Ma, this is also your own doing; you influenced our emotions just now, right?”
“Sigh, such a fragile sisterhood,” Ji Ma lamented. “In less than an hour, you’ve sided with your man.”
After saying that, Ji Ma’s small bat-like wings drooped behind her back.
“Although I feel embarrassed and even considered avoiding the topic,” George said seriously, “let’s discuss our relationship; who wants to share first?”
“Truly raised by the church,” Ji Ma said. “Even at this point, you’re still thinking about having a conference.”
Saintess Jenna turned to George with a smile and said, “I understand George is responsible. As long as our love remains unchanged, I will walk into the wedding hall with him at the right time. Tomorrow, I will announce our relationship…”
George nodded at her.
Ji Ma said, “Great, another couple ready to dive into the grave of marriage.”
Saintess Jenna turned to Ji Ma and said, “Ji Ma, I would be very happy living with you.”
“That was quite nice.”
Ji Ma looked at the Saintess’s ample bosom, feeling not a single ripple in her heart. After the earlier tumult, Ji Ma had entered a sage-like calm.
“At the same time, if you make your relationship public, I will support you. That’s all I have to say.”
Ji Ma said, “Why does it sound like speaking in a game of Werewolf?”
“Ji Ma?”
“Mm?”
“Can we try to work towards marriage?”
“Go away, go away,” Ji Ma said. “Don’t try to bind me with the outdated notion of marriage; I have no desire to marry, not at all.”
“Then—”
“And don’t look at me with guilty eyes.” Ji Ma straightened up, “Even though I feel severely hurt, dying in pain, and scalded to the brink of death, the only upside is I won’t have to eat for the next month. But that’s my choice. I don’t need anyone’s pity.”
“I must take responsibility for you.”
“But I don’t need it,” Ji Ma said stubbornly. “Isn’t it wonderful to enjoy the beauty of our bodies together? I don’t need you to announce our relationship. If possible, it’s best to hide the fact that we’ve had substantial physical contact. Even my foolish tail can think that if the church finds out, they would be terrified. In just a few months, the hero is dating a succubus. What would the world think? The hero is with the saintess and also with a succubus; they would probably be jealous to death.”
“I will protect you; you don’t need to worry about that.”
“The problem is, I don’t need it. Thank you,” Ji Ma insisted. “Young people always think they can change the world, why declare everything openly? Can you eat it?”
“I want to walk into the hall of marriage with you.”
“Is that your death wish?” Ji Ma said. “We’ve only had an intimate encounter; of course, there will be more in the future, but why does it have to be marriage? Why must it be love? Can’t we just enjoy the pleasures of the body?”
Ji Ma took a deep breath and said, “George, you’re too young. You don’t really understand me, and even if one day you do, I still won’t marry. I would never marry, and I have no need to bind myself with anything.”
Unknowingly, Ji Ma’s eyes became slightly red. She braced herself on the table, stood up, and walked towards the door, giving George a resolute back as she said:
“My demands are simple. Do you remember what I said on the boat? Just keep it ambiguous, that’s enough. I really don’t understand you; other men wouldn’t be happy if they heard about it and weren’t held responsible.”
George looked at Ji Ma’s thin back, feeling her heart was well-guarded, unsure of her dark secrets.
Saintess Jenna had a complex expression. She said, “Although I don’t agree with her values, she lives very clearly.”
Under the gaze of the saintess and the hero, Ji Ma opened the door, intending to leave with a stylish back.
However, as she crossed the threshold, her foot slipped, and she almost fell.
“Ji Ma.”
“It’s okay, I’m not that weak yet,” Ji Ma steadied herself on the handle and closed the door.
She let out a sigh, wiping her eyes, feeling a bit damp.
Given that her influence from the succubus body had become a settled matter, Ji Ma had already thought that sooner or later, she would engage in such acts with a man.
When this day actually arrived, she found that she wasn’t as resistant as she had imagined.
However, George had only entered her body, not her heart. Perhaps later, when feelings arose, she might have a few more intimate encounters with George, but it wouldn’t change anything.
Ji Ma walked on, her steps feeling unsteady, as a burning sensation surged.
Today was a considerable loss, benefiting that perverted tail enthusiast. Still a warrior profession, that was quite a long first tussle.
However, he felt quite guilty about it. Our relationship has moved a step forward; how should I put it? My plan to deceive emotions could be considered a success. I can resentfully use him in the future.
What’s even better is that I can still have physical intimacy with the saintess later on. From a certain perspective, I am brazenly giving him a green hat in front of him, and Jenna is indeed so soft.
The more Ji Ma thought about it, the more she felt she hadn’t lost anything.
A saintess with a big chest acquired, and with George, a round of applause would suffice.
Though George might have gained a lot, from any angle, I don’t feel like I’ve lost anything.
Ji Ma’s mood brightened as she whistled out of tune, walking back to her room.
Sitting on a squeaky chair, Ji Ma opened her external interface, her personal information system, and pulled up her task list.
Ji Ma marked the task “Deceiving the Feelings of a Virgin” as complete, a wicked smile creeping onto her face.
At that moment, she noticed a line in the information bar: “DM: Congratulations, you’ve advanced your mastery of ‘Deceiver.'”
Why so many? Usually, deceiving a few people doesn’t grant much experience.
Looking at the timestamp, it appeared after she left.
Is this also counted as deception?
Oh right, I did deceive his feelings.
I wonder how clever you have to be to level up in one go.
That guy actually had real feelings for me, not just guilt.
Ji Ma’s heart wavered slightly before she self-deprecatingly laughed, “So what?”
If he knew my identity and my purpose, someone like him would undoubtedly still choose to hunt me down.
Though he wouldn’t be as decisive and cold as last time.
“How young and naive.”
Ji Ma steadied herself, tapping her fingers on the table as she checked her tasks.
If she wasn’t mistaken, the core of “Deceiver” upgrade was not merely about deception but about creating a widely spread rumor and ensuring it became true over time.
Ji Ma opened the task “The Queen of Elves in Distress.”
The task had a note:
“On the 17th, the first batch of books will be launched into the market.”
The 17th was just the day after tomorrow.
Ji Ma clasped her hands together, praying that nothing unexpected would happen and her carefully prepared books could be launched into the market.
…
…
Morning.
Outside a village in the southern part of the Bartol Knight Kingdom, a field lay scattered with green-skinned corpses.
An orc leader, round and plump, was bound to a pyre. A wooden sign hung around its neck, reading “Murderer, Robber, Murderous Offender…”
Not only it, but over fifty living green-skinned captives were tied around it. Beneath them, piles of firewood were stacked; such a large-scale execution was extremely rare.
The villagers formed a circle, eagerly watching the execution while villagers from neighboring settlements gathered, forming a thick circle. Even the nearby trees were crawling with people.
In front of the pyre, a stand for judgment had been erected.
Clothed in a red robe, adorned with two sashes, Gregory read aloud the long list of charges.
The villagers could barely wait to see the execution. Luckily, Gregory reached the end of his recitation:
“…disrespecting the court, defecating on the victim’s body, profaning corpses—multiple charges compounded, execution by fire!”
“Wow!”
The villagers erupted in cheers, celebrating the lengthy indictment finally coming to an end.
The bulging orc leader spat out a mouthful of accumulated saliva with great force, unfortunately hitting a villager square in the face.
The orc leader cursed, “Old shrimp! I’m going to scoop out your skull to defecate!”
But soon, the fearful cries of goblins drowned out this defiant remark. The villagers couldn’t help but cover their ears, their eardrums nearly shattered by the goblins’ screams.
After finishing the prayer, Gregory grabbed a nearby mace and slammed it onto the podium. With a thunderous roar, fiery flowers rained down from the sky, igniting the firewood which crackled into flames, engulfing the screaming greenskins. The villagers erupted into another cheer.
Gregory inhaled the scent of burning protein, muttering to himself, “I love the smell of a pyre burning early in the morning.”
“Your Grace, a message for you.”
A church soldier approached, a plump pigeon perched atop his helmet.
Gregory grinned as he took the pigeon, untied the message from its leg, and pulled out a boiled soybean from his pocket to feed it.
The pigeon swallowed the soybean and flapped its wings to fly away.
Behind Gregory, flames shot up ten meters high, and in the fire, the green-skinned bodies turned black as he opened the message.
It was George’s neatly written letter.
“…I am fortunate to have won the love of Saintess Jenna. In the future, we will jointly walk into the hall of marriage…”
Gregory’s old face relaxed, and he let out a long sigh of relief.
The marriage of the saintess and the hero was the best outcome. There was no need to worry about the saintess being taken away by a demon king, nor about a succubus luring the hero.
Years ago, arranging for Jenna and George to be together was indeed prescient.
Gregory wiped his moist eyes with satisfaction and waved to toss the letter into the flames.
The paper floated upwards with the hot air, dissolving into charred ashes in the distorted warmth.
