Chapter 305: When Something Goes Against the Norm, There’s Usually a Reason.
The Eastern Region Grand Competition has temporarily concluded.
Qingmu Immortal Palace still holds many trials left by True Person Qingmu for exploration. The following days will be spent exploring these trials to improve one’s cultivation level, followed by another competition in the final days of the month.
Jiang Huai returned to his courtyard and slept soundly in bed, wrapped in his small quilt.
***
He woke up in the afternoon.
Jiang Huai got out of bed, put on his clothes, and tidied himself up. For the next ten days or so, many trials in Qingmu Immortal Palace awaited his exploration. Jiang Huai walked out of the courtyard and began to wander aimlessly within Qingmu Immortal Palace.
His head was still slightly hazy. As he walked, he found himself by a pond where white lotuses bloomed. In a pavilion by the pond, a woman in a purple dress sat quietly, gazing at the lotuses.
When Jiang Huai’s gaze fell upon her curiously, he realized it was the Pavilion Master of Ziyun Pavilion, Jiang Zhi. At this moment, she still wore a half-face mask, revealing only her eyes and lips. Yet, even so, she was incredibly captivating. Her deep purple eyes seemed to hold an indescribable allure and temptation. Even though her eyes were so cold, and her figure appeared so lonely and desolate.
As Jiang Huai’s gaze fell, Jiang Zhi’s eyes also landed on him.
Instantly, Jiang Huai felt a tide of pressure surge towards him. As he met her gaze, countless inexplicable illusions flooded his mind. He seemed to see countless naked bodies entwined together, while he was buried deep within warm, soft flesh, feeling both weary and satisfied. He bit his tongue lightly, struggling to regain clarity. After a moment’s hesitation, he still initiated a conversation, “Senior, have you cultivated some secret technique related to charm?”
“Yes, I usually suppress it as much as possible. Your cultivation level is too low, so you would be affected,” Jiang Zhi’s voice was very cold.
But even though her voice was as cold as ice cubes hitting a porcelain cup, Jiang Huai inexplicably sensed an indescribable charm, as if her slightly trembling tone was teasing him. He pinched his thigh hard again before softly speaking, “Junior Jiang Huai, I have something I wish to ask Senior.”
“You want to ask about that Purple Jade Card?” Jiang Zhi glanced at him askance.
“Mm,” Jiang Huai nodded gently. He strongly suspected that the Pavilion Master of Ziyun Pavilion before him came from the same world as him. However, a moment later, Jiang Zhi’s answer disappointed him.
“That was left by the previous Pavilion Master of Ziyun Pavilion, my Master. Whoever can correctly fill in the poetic lines on the stone tablet will receive that Purple Jade Card. As for why Master did this, I don’t understand either,” Jiang Zhi answered very calmly.
Jiang Huai understood and felt a slight disappointment. He didn’t say anything more, only softly saying, “Thank you, Senior, for clearing my doubts.”
“Come here,” Jiang Zhi suddenly said.
Jiang Huai hesitated for a moment before walking up to Jiang Zhi. At this moment, she was wearing a purple fishtail skirt that hugged her body. The skirt had a slit around the calf area. Her sitting posture was already languid, and her fair, slender legs were revealed from the skirt. The closer he got to Jiang Zhi, the less Jiang Huai dared to look into her eyes. When he smelled the faint fragrance emanating from her, Jiang Huai suddenly felt his heart begin to pound, and even Xiao Huai started to become uncontrollable.
Damn it.
Her charm cultivation had clearly reached an extremely terrifying level, and this was likely the result of her deliberate restraint. Jiang Huai had heard that when charm cultivation reached its peak, she might only need a single glance to make Xiao Huai pant uncontrollably, fall to the ground, and die from exhaustion.
Jiang Huai’s peripheral vision caught sight of her wearing a pair of purple satin high heels, with a small light purple flower on the tip of the shoe. The veins on her smooth, fair, and tender instep were faintly visible. His gaze followed her slender ankle upwards, and he involuntarily became increasingly immersed. He couldn’t help but want to get closer and sniff the fragrance on her body, and a desire to bite her suddenly arose in his mind.
At this moment, he pinched his thigh again, bringing him back to some semblance of clarity, and asked, “Senior, why did you call me here?”
Unexpectedly, the next second, Jiang Zhi, who was sitting in the chair, reached out, gently grabbed his collar, and pulled him closer. Jiang Huai didn’t dare to move, like a rabbit caught in the gaze of a fierce beast, looking at Jiang Zhi weakly and helplessly.
Jiang Zhi’s hands were beautiful, with slender fingers. Her fair fingertips slowly moved upwards, gently pinching his chin. Her deep purple eyes held no hint of scrutiny, “Seeing that you are handsome, I wanted to look at you for a while.”
She answered so naturally, her voice still as cold as before, but Jiang Huai’s heart began to pound uncontrollably again. From his perspective, he could just see her slender, protruding collarbone and a small part of the cleavage between her chest. It was clearly just a small amount, yet he felt his head was about to explode.
The fingertips gently touching his cheek were slightly cool. She looked at him as if he were a toy, reaching out to pinch his face, poke his nose, and pull his ear. She played with him like this, as if kneading a doll, for a while before finally letting go. Then she looked up at him and asked, “Am I beautiful?”
Jiang Huai wasn’t stunned for too long and quickly replied, “Even though Senior only shows half of her face, you are still incredibly beautiful. I imagine that with the mask off, you are devastatingly beautiful, a peerless beauty in the mortal world.”
Jiang Zhi listened to his flattery and suddenly let out a light laugh, her pink, moist lips curving into a smile, “Take off my mask.”
Jiang Huai was slightly stunned. He reached out and gently moved to the back of her head, unfastening her mask. A moment later, he was stunned.
Jiang Huai had of course guessed what her face might look like under the mask. He had always had a great resistance to so-called “beauty.” Since childhood, he had lived with Chu Xianning, and moreover, he often saw Luo Yueguan. Every girl around him was as beautiful and exquisite as a celestial being. He thought he would only be momentarily dazed at most, but the moment he saw her face, he felt as if his head had been struck by a heavy hammer.
He didn’t know how to describe Jiang Zhi’s beauty, but he felt an indescribable shock, as if a great fire had suddenly ignited before him, and he was engulfed by the flames, his skin becoming hot and scorched. Although her features and expression were extremely cold, he paradoxically perceived an indescribable charm and temptation. Her face seemed to be gazing at him tenderly, and yet it also seemed filled with desire, tempting him to do something bad.
Seductive.
Jiang Huai suddenly thought of this adjective. For some reason, he suddenly wanted to pinch her face and see what expression she would have after her cheek was pinched. As this thought arose, he bit his tongue hard. The mask slipped from Jiang Huai’s hand, and he and Jiang Zhi faced each other for several seconds. Jiang Zhi’s cold eyes looked at him with some complexity.
“Am I the most beautiful woman you’ve ever seen?” she murmured softly.
Jiang Huai’s eyes still held a trace of deep confusion. After a moment, he suddenly shook his head, “No, no.”
“Then who?”
“Chu Xianning, the most beautiful fairy in the world is Chu Xianning,” he replied at an extremely fast pace, a fine layer of sweat already appearing on his forehead.
Jiang Zhi was stunned for a few seconds, then suddenly let out a snort of laughter. She reached out and pinched Jiang Huai’s face, her movements extremely gentle. Although the gesture seemed a little flirtatious, she remained languid and composed, softly saying, “You are a good child.”
Jiang Huai didn’t understand why she was praising him out of the blue. He suddenly felt an inexplicable urge to escape. Jiang Zhi before him gave him a sense of extreme danger. Jiang Zhi quickly released his hand and said softly, “You once tried to have Ziyun Pavilion search for Snow Velvet Flower and Azure Falling Vine for you?”
Jiang Huai nodded.
“There has been recent news of Snow Velvet Flower from the Western Region. It is in the Fan Hua Secret Realm in the Western Region. The Fan Hua Secret Realm will open in three months. The Monster Clan’s Sky Eye Master has calculated that Snow Velvet Flower will bloom within it.”
“Fan Hua Secret Realm… Are there any entry restrictions?”
“Below Void Refinement fifth level, and must be of the Monster Clan. However, I am an old acquaintance of the Monster Clan leader who manages the Fan Hua Secret Realm. If you plan to go personally, I can make an exception and grant you a qualification.”
“Why is Senior willing to help me?” Jiang Huai suddenly felt an inexplicable wariness in his heart.
Most of the time in this world, there is only unprovoked hatred. Unprovoked kindness is always rare. Jiang Zhi looked at the unease in his eyes and suddenly let out a light chuckle, then, as if teasing a child, pinched his face, “Because you are handsome, how about this reason?”
Jiang Huai’s small face reddened, and he took a step back, preventing her from pinching him again.
Seeing Jiang Huai’s cautious demeanor, Jiang Zhi’s smile grew even wider. The burden that had been pressing on her shoulders suddenly vanished. She had come to Qingmu Immortal Palace for two reasons: one, she was invited by her old friend Xia Wanyu, and two, because she knew Jiang Huai would also be coming.
She wanted to take this opportunity to meet Jiang Huai, to meet her so-called “destined person.” Even though she had already made up her mind, to go against her original oath and no longer accept the fate that had been arranged for her… She had been uneasy recently. But now, it seemed that Jiang Huai before her was not a villain, nor was he as greedy and despicable as she had imagined.
Indeed, someone who was willing to risk their life for a group of mortal children, resulting in the complete loss of their cultivation, how greedy and despicable could they be?
Such a small fellow, who could be easily manipulated and possessed a bit of gentlemanly demeanor, truly put her at ease at this moment, so much so that her mood improved considerably. Jiang Zhi couldn’t help but reach out and gently pat Jiang Huai’s chest. Jiang Huai looked at her with a strange expression, “Senior… please have some self-respect.”
Jiang Zhi then came back to her senses, but smiled innocently at him, “Are you wronged just from being patted?”
“A little bit.”
Jiang Zhi suddenly took out a ten-million spirit stone ticket and placed it in front of Jiang Huai. Looking at Jiang Huai, she tilted her head, “Can you be patted?”
“I am a person with principles and dignity.”
Jiang Zhi took out two more ten-million spirit stone tickets and placed them in front of him, blinking, “Can you be patted?”
Jiang Huai sneered, and his shirt was instantly removed, revealing his proportionate and slender upper body. He looked at her innocently, “Where else does Senior wish to pat?”
Touching won’t make a piece of flesh fall off.
Jiang Zhi in front of him suddenly burst into laughter, her body shaking with laughter, even her chest trembling slightly. Jiang Huai didn’t understand why she was laughing so hard and stood there innocently, blinking.
His thick skin wasn’t a recent development. He looked longingly at the three ten-million spirit stone tickets, thinking that the Pavilion Master of Ziyun Pavilion was being too generous, or was she simply trying to tease him? Unexpectedly, the next moment, Jiang Zhi stuffed all three ten-million spirit stone tickets into his hand.
“Give me a shoulder rub and a leg massage, and these twenty million are yours,” Jiang Zhi said, then took out two more ten-million spirit stone tickets, her lips slightly curved, dimples shallow on her cheeks.
Jiang Huai unintentionally met her gaze, but his heart skipped a beat again. The woman before him was overwhelmingly beautiful, always making him feel inexplicably restless.
Jiang Huai felt that something was wrong. When something goes against the norm, there’s usually a reason.
