Chapter 286: Didn’t Do Anything
The zither music came to an end. Jiang Huai slowly regained his senses and looked at Fang Qingmu and Xia Wanyu on the stage. Xia Wanyu’s fingertips had already left the strings, and her voice was gentle, “The story is finished.”
“What happened next?”
No one in the audience spoke, making Jiang Huai’s question particularly abrupt. He snapped back to reality and felt a bit awkward, but he couldn’t help but want to know. What happened next?
The story should have an ending.
“What happened next?” Fang Qingmu wasn’t annoyed by Jiang Huai’s abruptness. Instead, he smiled at him, “Later, my Master and I became Dao Companions and lived in Qingmu Immortal Palace.”
Jiang Huai let out a long sigh of relief.
Although everyone else was still a little out of it, Fang Qingmu spoke softly, “This matter has never been told to anyone else. Master always felt there was no need to mention it to outsiders. It’s only now, with the great tribulation approaching, that I suddenly wanted to tell you all this story.”
Xia Wanyu silently reached out and pinched Fang Qingmu’s waist. She leaned into his ear and whispered, “I’ve told you many times, you’re not allowed to call me Master in front of outsiders!”
“I’m used to calling you that in front of others…” Fang Qingmu gave her a wronged look but then leaned closer to her cheek, “Alright, I’ve told the story to them. Is there anything else you want to do?”
“No,” Xia Wanyu gently shook her head, a trace of redness still lingering on her cheeks.
“Then shall I take you to rest first?”
“Okay.” Fang Qingmu gently took Xia Wanyu’s hand and said to everyone, “I’ll take Wanyu to rest first. Please excuse me for a while. I’ll be back later to drink with you all.”
Jiang Huai watched the two of them leave. He noticed the smile on Xia Wanyu’s lips. Even though her hair was withered, her eyes were as bright as a young girl’s.
The banquet gradually became lively again. Jiang Huai secretly glanced at Chu Xianning. Chu Xianning seemed to be lost in thought. When she noticed Jiang Huai’s gaze and turned her head, their eyes met in mid-air.
In the past, Jiang Huai would always be the first to look away, never daring to meet Chu Xianning’s cold eyes directly. But this time, Chu Xianning was the one who averted her gaze first. He seemed to have caught a glimpse of guilt in Chu Xianning’s eyes, though it was only a fleeting moment.
Jiang Huai looked at Luo Yueguan beside her. Luo Yueguan’s eyes held a deep amusement as she looked at him, the curve of her lips just right. Jiang Huai felt inexplicably guilty whenever he looked at her. After averting his gaze, hecontinued to drink alone.
Luo Yueguan whispered in Chu Xianning’s ear for quite some time, finally coaxing her. Chu Xianning picked up her wine cup and took a gentle sip.
True Person Qingmu soon returned. He was acquainted with many of the cultivators present. He was considered a senior to many of them, and his reputation was excellent, known for his kindness and especially for taking care of the younger generation. The cultivators present raised their cups one by one, toasting True Person Qingmu and offering blessings. Jiang Huai scratched his head, feeling a little more certain.
As long as one’s cultivation level was sufficient, worldly prejudices simply did not exist. At least, no one dared to show even the slightest hint of it.
The banquet grew increasingly lively, and even True Person Qingmu got very drunk. He boasted to Xu Ting, Mu Chenyun, the Chess Saint, and others about how adorable his Dao Companion was. Jiang Huai found it all quite amusing.
It was late into the night when everyone finally departed, having had their fill. As Jiang Huai stood up, he saw Mu Yao approaching him. Her cheeks were slightly flushed, as if she had also had a small cup of wine.
“Are you coming back to my courtyard now to learn that secret technique?” she asked softly.
“Sure.” Jiang Huai nodded gently. He was indeed very interested in that secret technique, especially since it was so disgusting and pure mental pollution. His soul combat techniques were almost limited to Mirror Flower, so learning another one would be beneficial.
He then followed Mu Yao towards her courtyard. After a few steps, he remembered something and went back to explain to Wanwan and Qingyu first. Wanwan and Qingyu weren’t angry, they just looked at him innocently.
“Wanwan is with Sister Qingyu tonight, waiting for Senior Brother Jiang Huai to return together,” Wen Wanwan whispered in Jiang Huai’s ear.
***
Luo Yueguan’s and Chu Xianning’s courtyards were close to each other. The two walked through a path full of flowers, following the moonlight back to the courtyard entrance. Chu Xianning opened the door and looked at Luo Yueguan beside her, “What are you doing?”
“Don’t you want to talk about something with me?” Luo Yueguan stood by her side, her eyes gazing at her softly.
“Talk about what?” Chu Xianning asked.
“I don’t know. Perhaps you do,” Luo Yueguan looked into her eyes innocently.
“I have nothing to talk about,” Chu Xianning turned her face away.
“I’ve noticed you’ve been acting increasingly strange lately. Not only are you unwilling to drink, but you’re also more withdrawn than before. In the past, you used to occasionally talk to me about your troubles, and you never avoided mentioning Jiang Huai. But now, you clearly have a lot on your mind, yet you refuse to say it. Could it be that you’re genuinely guilty this time? Did the story of Fang Qingmu and Xia Wanyu not move you at all?”
As soon as Luo Yueguan said this, Chu Xianning’s eyes darted away even more, and her voice became increasingly cold, “No.”
“Why are you looking at me with such an angry expression? You wouldn’t be angry if I were wrong. Hmph, Chu Xianning, I haven’t known you for just one day.” Luo Yueguan smiled lightly, but after a moment, her voice softened, “Since you’re bottling it up alone, why not tell me? What are you really thinking about?”
“I said there’s nothing,” she insisted.
“Still playing hard to get.” Seeing Chu Xianning’s cold and resolute demeanor, Luo Yueguan stopped pressing. “Then I’ll go back to sleep. If you can’t sleep alone, come find me, and I’ll open the door.”
“I won’t,” Chu Xianning turned and walked into her room.
***
The moonlight cast a silvery frost over the courtyard.
“I want to bathe first. Wait for me here.”
After saying this, Mu Yao turned and walked towards the bathhouse in the backyard, not giving Jiang Huai a chance to object. Jiang Huai scratched his head, feeling the atmosphere was a bit strange.
He came to learn a secret technique, but why did it feel like he was here to have an affair?
However, he could only sit on the stone bench in the courtyard, watching the flower petals fall under the moonlight. After a while, Mu Yao came out. She had changed into a thin sling nightgown. Her jet-black hair was casually draped, and her porcelain white clavicle was bathed in moonlight. The hem of her white nightgown was designed with ruffles, and her legs beneath the skirt were slender and well-proportioned. Unlike her refined elegance during the day, she now exuded a sense of lazy cuteness.
“Come back to my room with me.”
She seemed to like speaking in such a commanding tone. Jiang Huai stood up and followed her back to the room. He then saw Mu Yao sit down with both hands clasped and cross her legs. She said softly, “To cultivate this secret technique, you need to place your forehead against mine.”
“Oh…”
Did he have to get on the bed too?
Jiang Huai hesitated for a moment, then took off his shoes and sat on Mu Yao’s bed. The atmosphere became even more peculiar. Mu Yao had closed the door when she entered. Now, a solitary man and woman were alone in a room, and the girl in front of him seemed completely unguarded.
He still leaned in slightly, gently pressing his forehead against hers.
“Relax your defenses. Next, we will blend our souls. This way, you will be able to see the cultivation method and practice instructions for that secret technique.”
As Mu Yao spoke, the warm breath from her lips landed on Jiang Huai’s face. He seemed to smell the faint fragrance emanating from Mu Yao. After a moment, he relaxed his soul’s defenses, and their souls began to gradually blend.
Blending souls was a very delicate matter. Generally, only cultivators with a closer relationship would willingly expose their souls to each other. Not everyone’s soul compatibility was perfect, but Jiang Huai and Mu Yao’s seemed to be quite compatible. The moment their souls blended, both of their bodies trembled inexplicably.
The feeling was subtle, but it had nothing to do with lust; it was a feeling of profound peace and warmth.
Jiang Huai had cultivated the Qingxuan Zizai View, so he had some understanding of soul cultivation. At this moment, Mu Yao was pulling Jiang Huai’s soul into her world. And in her world, she was dressed in her nightgown, just as she was now. It was still a lake, and Mu Yao reached out, handing him a jade bead. Inside it were the methods for cultivating that soul secret technique.
The secret technique was obtained by Mu Yao from the remnant soul of an Eighth Realm cultivator. Its purpose was to forcibly trap someone in an illusion. This illusion would automatically manifest their greatest fears. The information contained in this secret technique was quite extensive, and Jiang Huai immediately felt a headache. With his soul power, deciphering this secret technique was rather complex and would likely take a long time.
However, a moment later, he suddenly realized that Mu Yao had appeared beside him at some unknown time and gently embraced him from behind.
Jiang Huai was stunned and was about to speak when he realized that Mu Yao’s soul power seemed to have become his reserve energy. Their souls were connected, and it was no longer so difficult for him to understand the secret technique. However, even within the soul world, he could still feel the illusory touch. The soft chest of the girl behind him pressed tightly against his back, making him feel a little uneasy.
“I’ll study it slowly… you don’t have to help me like this.”
“Cultivating this secret technique carries risks. If your soul power is weak, you might suffer a backlash from the technique and be trapped in the illusion, tormenting yourself for a long time.”
Jiang Huai was instantly sobered up and stopped struggling, beginning to earnestly comprehend the secret technique. But after a while longer, he felt a tickle on his neck and became alert, “What are you doing?”
“I didn’t do anything,” Mu Yao’s voice was very innocent.
Jiang Huai refocused and continued to study the secret technique. But after a while, he felt a tickle on his neck again. When he turned his head, he saw that the Mu Yao behind him was standing on tiptoe, her delicate pink lips almost reaching his neck, as if she wanted to bite him.
“What do you want?” Jiang Huai looked at her vigilantly.
But Mu Yao showed no guilt at all and answered very calmly, “I want to bite you.”
“Why?”
“I don’t know,” Mu Yao shook her head. “I just want to bite you.”
“No,” Jiang Huai replied seriously. Mu Yao had no choice but to lower her tiptoes and continue to hold him, burying her face in his back.
